A Promise Of Forever
by MissKirei
Summary: [25K reads!]Chapter 19: Strength-You are a pretty strong-willed woman Misaki, whether you like it or not." Ayame said, "Even if you can't feel that strength right now, it is what is at your core. You need to reconnect with your lost self and find that strength again. Go places you liked, visit people who had an impact on you, drown in nostalgia, and you will find your lost self."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm back with a brand new story and a brand new plot! Please read it and tell me how it was! I know things may not seem clear in early chapters but it will get better.**

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 **Thank you!**

 _But it's time to face the truth, I will never be with you (James Blunt- You're beautiful)_

Click!

The door flung open as soon as Ayuzawa Misaki kicked it, after turning the key inside the lock. Surprised for a moment that it didn't fly off its hinges, she kept the brown paper bags on to the cabinet which were previously occupying her hands. She sighed exasperatedly and tried to calm herself.

She had been breathing heavily, the elevator of her apartment building stopped working the moment she had stepped in, carrying two huge bags of home supplies and whatnot. _Just good luck_ , she mumbled sarcastically as she took the remote and switched on the air conditioning. She had to climb ten floors along with those bags.

She went to the kitchen and took a bottle of water to quench her thirst. She unbuttoned the first three buttons of her shirt and sat down on the couch. _God, what an ungrateful day_ , she thought to herself.

After getting comfortable with the temperature and everything, she went inside her bedroom to change.

Misaki took off her heels as she sat down on the edge of the bed. She took off her shirt and zipped down her pencil skirt. She placed her clothes in the laundry basket as she stepped inside the bathroom. Misaki untied her hair. She had grown her bangs out and they halfway reached her waist. She turned on the faucet and after setting the temperature, she waited patiently for the tub to fill up.

The tub was now ready and she stepped inside after putting some body wash in it. She shut her eyes and made herself comfortable inside the bathtub, letting the warm water work its magic. She sighed and thought about the events that had taken place in the morning.

 _Ayuzawa Misaki, 23 and cozy in bed, wake up with a huge smile on her face. She got up quickly and glanced at her wrist watch which she had always forgotten to take off at night. She woke up feeling enthusiastic and exuberant in the morning._

 _She went into her living room and stared out of the huge glass window that provided her with the best sunset and sunrise view without having to climb a mountain._

 _She was grateful that she had made the decision of buying her modern and huge-for-one-person apartment. She was grateful for everything today. After watching the sunrise, she went inside and brushed her teeth, took a bath, fixed herself instant noodles-sadly that was the extent of her cooking prowess. Instant Noodles and Microwavable food. But, hey! You had to put them in boiling water, that outta count as cooking right?! Riiighttt... So she put on her regular business clothes and formal makeup and headed out._

 _She grabbed her bag and mobile phones too, briefly looking at her old flip phone after keeping her iPhone in her bag. That flip phone was her first mobile phone and had held too many precious memories-both happy and sad. She always cherished it and kept it along although it did not work properly anymore. Looking at her watch, she headed out, locking her apartment._

 _On her way to the elevator, she met with an obaa-chan that lived on the same floor as herself. She greeted her cheerfully, "Good morning Oba-san"_

 _The old lady gave her a toothless smile, "Why, good morning Misaki! You sure are enthusiastic today! Have a good day dear~!"_

 _With that, Misaki stepped into the elevator and thought to herself. What's the use of being alive if you don't wake up every day with a smile and take on the world?_

 _She exited the apartment and went to the parking area. She unlocked her Audi, proud-owner, and stepped in._

 _Just as she was about to drive away, some stupid teenager who had been too busy kissing his girlfriend who had been sitting behind him on his bike, smashed his bike into her car._

 _She freaked out with the shock from the accident and got out horrified. "What the major-?" Misaki looked at her beautiful; No, Once-beautiful car and stared at the stupid teenage couple with her infamous purple aura._

 _The boy got up and after checking his girlfriend for injuries, freaked out with what happened._

 _"Fuck! My bike!", before he could whine about his stupid bike, he turned around only to see the proud-owner of the now destroyed Audi. Compared to her car, that bike just got a dent! A single dent for fuck's sake! Her purple aura sent chills down his spine and the couple bowed down to apology._

 _"Ano, we're sorry! I was caught off guard and didn't see you. Heh-heh", he tried to smile sheepishly and looked at his girlfriend._

 _Misaki only kept quiet, her loud and obnoxious behavior towards shitty situations had lessened with the course of time._

 _"It's just that", that boy continued, not looking at Misaki at all, "that when I am with Yuki, everything else doesn't matter. I just want to be by her side no matter what", he kissed her._

 _Misaki had been startled when she heard those words come out, her fingers clenched together into a fist as someone crossed her mind._

 _She shoved it deeper, burying the distasteful thought deep within her mind and heart. She didn't let her thoughts show on her face, not anymore._

 _"Damn you kids", Misaki looked away, still angry but feeling her cheeks heat up from the display of affection before her._

 _"Ah-We're sorry! I promise to pay you for the damage with my part time earnings, It will be fine, just give me some time Ma'am. Like a few months ", the boy was lost in his own world, fidgeting about how he will pay her for the damages even when he already has student loan and whatnots._

 _Misaki face palmed, she could not believe this couple! His girlfriend could only nod with a weak smile._

 _At last she spoke, choosing to let it slide, "So, I'll let you go on a condition"_

 _"Condition", the boy stared at her dumbfounded._

 _"Never", she went towards him and the boy froze in fear, thinking that she was gonna hit him, but nothing of the sort happened._

 _"Never, ever break her heart", she looked at his girlfriend and managed a smile as she ruffled the boy's spiky brown hair and walked away._

 _She put on a smile and called up the mechanic, Just smile, and breathe. You'll be fine she mumbled to herself, as if assuring herself of something that was never going to happen._

 _She could hear the couple shout words of gratitude as she talked to her mechanic._

 _After minutes and minutes of apologies and thank-yous, they still were pestering her, Misaki looked in their direction and gave them a pierced glare as she lifted her slim, manicured fingers and motioned them to get lost as she mouthed the words "Don't show me your face again", she rubbed her temple, she will have to take the train now and she was already running late._

 _After a good twenty minutes, the mechanic arrived and had a look at her car._

 _He told her that it will take some time in repair and he would soon come to drop it when it is ready. With that, the mechanic went away and Misaki quickened her steps towards the metro station._

 _It had been quite a few years since she had taken the train, Misa thought as she sat on the unoccupied seat. She looked out, remembering her high school days, she used to travel to maid latte using the train. Even in her college when she was attending Tokyo University, the train was her means of transportation._

 _After graduating as a diplomat, Misaki joined Azalea Inc. as their representative for Japan. The job paid really well and she didn't have to relocate from Tokyo._

 _However, her family had shifted, after her father returned, to Hokkaido. Her father's return was a turning point in her family's lives. Her mom was never happier and Suzuna accepted him too. But Misaki was not ready to accept her father back into their hearts and home._

 _What if he left again? She could not yet trust him._

 _It was Usui who had warmed up Misaki's man hating ways and made his way into her heart. He had helped her accept her father and her family was united again._

 _Shoving his thoughts away again, Misaki thought back to the time when her family had decided to shift to Hokkaido with her father, right after Suzuna graduated from high school._

 _It had been convenient really, their father owned a huge restaurant in Hokkaido and Suzuna was attending her college there too. Misaki could not go as her college graduation was not yet completed._

 _She joined a company in Japan afterwards, not wanting to leave the city anytime. I will shift afterwards. Mom, I just don't feel like leaving the company right now, she recalled telling her mom._

 _Her mom could only nod, being the encouraging and independent woman that she was, she told Misaki to follow what her heart desires as she pecked her cheek. Misaki glanced at her watch as she saw her station nearing up._

 _She rushed out, not wanting to be squashed in the huge crowd that was getting off behind her too. She practically ran in heels to her office. It was 11 am already, her boss was gonna have her head on a silver platter. Although her post as the country's representative was a good position, she practically managed the company's Japan branch, she did have a few people to answer to._

 _She reached her office huffing and puffing, her face as red as a tomato courtesy of the summer heat. She paced towards her office, muttering a few good mornings and hellos. She was met with her boss' secretary that informed her about her boss wanting to see her. She told her politely that she was gonna be in his office in a few minutes._

 _After she kept her things in her office, she fixed her clothes and walked confidently into her boss' office._

 _"Ah! Miss Ayuzawa. Good to see you. Please have a seat", he motioned for her to come inside and she obliged with a polite greeting._

 _She sat down on the chair and looked at him, "So, what is it that you want to discuss with me?" She asked politely._

 _The said man, stopped typing in his laptop and looked at her. His gentle face was replaced with a stern one._

 _"Right, we need to talk."_

 _Oh god just spit it out already, Misaki barked in her mind, while on the outside she merely nodded, all serious. Her face meant business._

 _"As a reward of your hard work throughout the years that you have spent here at Azalea Inc., we are offering you a promotion."_

 _Misaki smiled brightly, despite of the mishappenings the day presented itself with, this was her moment._

 _"We are promoting you to our branch which is in England. We are assured that with a genius such as yourself, the company will be in good hands."_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's chapter 2 for A promise of forever**

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 **Thank you!**

 _I've always loved you, and made you happy_

 _and nothing else, could come between; _

_but now you've left me,_

 _to love another one._

 _you have shattered all of my dreams._

 _you are my sunshine._

 _my only shunshine._

 _you made me happy...once._

 _"We are promoting you to our branch which is in England. We are assured that with a genius such as yourself, the company will be in good hands."_

 _Misaki's smile vanished, this was so not her moment._

 _"En-England?" she muttered._

 _"Why yes! Aren't you excited?! Your tickets and everything are ready, we are only waiting for your consent."_

 _There was silence on the other side of the table._

 _"What if I refuse?" She looked at him ruefully._

 _"But why would you leave such a great opportunity? It's good for your career", the joy in his voice disappeared._

 _"I-I'm not..." she was at a loss of words._

 _"Miss Ayuzawa, I would like you to reconsider the offer. England is a good country. And for your reply, if you refuse", there was a moment of silence but he spoke again, "I'm afraid you will have to either resign or move to our other divisions, as we already have someone for your position Miss Ayuzawa. I hope you understand that someone of your talent is not worthy of such a small position that you have right now. We only want what's best for the growth for our employees" he looked at her with a gentle smile, "You can join the other divisions too you know, Misaki", he smiled again, "You don't wanna waste your talent kiddo, I've worked with you for a long time now. I suggest you consider this offer, you have one week to reconsider."_

 _Misaki looked at him gratefully, he treated her like a daughter regardless of their status as boss and employee._

 _She smiled weakly at him._

 _What was she going to do?_

 _God, this really wasn't her day. She had one week to make up her mind. She didn't want to change her division, she loved her work! And she didn't want to move to England either because of some reason._

 _Her boss gave her a reassuring smile once again, "Now now, we should get back to work instead of getting lost in thoughts. You have a lot of time, and besides," he gave her a small grin, "If you really don't wanna go, I'll try to talk my higher-ups out of it" He lifted his hand up and gave her a thumbs up._

 _Misaki only smiled and excused herself out of his office. The only four words that echoed in her brain were,_

 _"What am I gonna do?"_

 _The rest of the day was a blur. She was too distracted to work, and too distracted to chat with her friend in the office-Haruhi, her boss' secretary. They had been friends since she had joined, being from the same university, and often had lunch together._

 _At last, she drowned herself in her work, everything else was a haze. She was buried in paperwork._

 _The last time she had glanced down at her wrist watch was after lunch, she looked at it again only to find out it was 7pm. She decided to stop for today and resume tomorrow. She got up and took her bag to leave._

 _She checked her phone while getting out of the office, a few calls from mom and Sakura. Sakura had been on tours with Kuuga ever since they got together and was now his tour manager. As for Shizuko, she had studied to become a professor and taught in Shinjuku University. She had maintained contact with everyone over Skype calls and texts. Everyone was so busy with their lives; she barely had the time herself._

 _The last she heard from Satsuki-san, Maid latte was upgraded to a high end restaurant. Aoi had become a fashion designer and didn't cross-dress anymore, although she did see a familiar looking face wearing a Victorian style dress on the cover of a magazine and she immediately she knew who it was. She had grinned and told Satsuki she would visit soon whenever she got the chance to visit the town. Her old house had been rented. All this was a month ago, she vowed to herself to call everyone up on the weekend._

 _Putting her thoughts aside, Misaki crossed the road. Life had to go on and she had to buy groceries which mainly consisted of fruits and instant food. She walked towards the supermarket._

 _The Izu supermarket was not crowded today. Since it was almost 8pm, there weren't many people in the supermarket, usually the place was so filled, one could only dream to set foot inside and come back in one piece._

 _Misaki thanked gods, after such an eventful day, she could only hope nothing would go bad now. She quickly grabbed a cart and started rummaging through isles. She bought everything she needed, although she was not much at home she made sure everything was stuffed. She didn't want to end up not finding some item at home and then going at midnight to buy it._

 _Misaki shrugged away from her thoughts as she almost-Almost barged into a mountain of canned tomatoes, as she backed off, she walked into the glass door and hit her head, thinking that it was the door. She rubbed her head embarrassedly and went to the cashier._

 _She packed everything in a brown paper and lifted it up, only to have everything come out of it. It couldn't hold the weight of the groceries. She sighed and picked everything up, requesting for double bags to make sure they didn't tear up again. She groaned and walked out after paying for the bill._

 _This was so not her day._

Misaki was snatched out of her reverie as she heard her phone ring in the other room.

She got up immediately and took a towel, after almost tripping due to her soapy feet and slippery tiles, she managed to get her phone in time. She didn't recognize the number but decided to pick it up anyway. Her parade from the bathroom would be useless if she didn't.

"Hello?" she muttered nonchalantly.

"Kaichou", the other voice said.

 _Arrogant bastard_ , Misaki thought, "I'm not the kaichou anymore idiot! Stop living in the past!" this certain person sure was getting on her nerves.

Misaki was awarded with an arrogant chuckle. _Great_ , she scowled.

"Just what do you want? Don't you know it's absurd to call at such an ungodly hour?" Misaki pinched her temple.

"What? Can't an old friend call? We even went to college together, didn't we?" came his smart reply, his voice coated with mischief.

"I can't seem to recall the part when we became friends, while yes we did go to the same uni, our majors were different!"

"Anyways, Miss Ayuzawa, I called you so as to arrange a meeting with you. Just business", his voice went from mischief to serious.

"Just business?" Misaki raised an eyebrow.

"Just Business."

"Great, when do you want to meet up?"

"How does lunch tomorrow sound? I'll meet you at a restaurant of your choice?"

"Sure", she said.

"Alright, text me. I'll be there."

With that, the phone call ended. Misaki was still holding her purse from which she had fetched her iPhone from and keeping her towel in place, not that there was anyone to see her even if she walked around naked, Misaki was shy about her body.

As she struggled to keep her towel in place and her phone and her purse, her phone fell down and in an attempt to save it from breaking, her purse fell too. Everything spilled out of it. Pens, wallet, Business cards, credit cards, a lipstick, some tissues here and there, and her flip phone.

She almost did not notice her flip phone came out rolling from the purse as she was busy picking up her things and shoving them back into the god darn purse. She almost didn't notice her flip phone.

"Ayuzawa"

"What baka Usui?! Shouldn't you be sleeping right now? What time is it anyway?"

"Misaki", came the smooth velvety voice.

Misaki froze in her spot as she heard the recording being played on her old phone. The things that were stuffed in her arms fell down as she stood there.

"We need to talk, Misaki", He said, in a more stern tone, which made her insides churn.

It still sent a shiver down her spine.

"WH-What happened Usui?! Stop scaring me like that! What do you want to talk about?" Misaki heard her former self say.

Her past self.

Her 17 year old self.

"Let's break up. I'm sorry.", and with those words, the phone call ended.

Misaki stood there, dumbfounded. It was like time froze. It was like she was brought back in time six years ago. She just stood there, processing the words again, as if she hadn't listened them before.

After what felt like ages, Misaki moved. She went towards her phone, and picked it up. She stared at her phone

And threw it at the wall.

The phone collided against the wall, and fell down.

It was funny how a non-living object was able to cause her so much pain. She didn't know how many times the same scenario had repeated itself. Something or the other would happen-be it pressing some wrong buttons or opening the recordings herself. She would listen to this particular recording, throw her phone, cry, and then keep the phone back.

She could never make herself delete the recordings-the memories, or just throw the source of the problem altogether-her phone. No matter how heartbreaking it was to listen to, she could never get rid of it. Even if she deleted it, it would not help matters. Every conversation she ever had with Usui was embedded onto her mind. It would only take the one thing of Usui she was left with away.

She remembered that after Usui had left for England, she had made a habit of recording their phone calls so that she would listen to his voice when she missed him too much. At that point in her life, she was finally happy. Nothing was perfect, but he made it flawless. She had missed him so much when he went to England. That moment, Misaki had decided to not cry over his absence and be his weakness. Misaki had decided to become his strength. They would maintain contact over email and phone calls, and Misaki would listen to those recordings in moments of loneliness.

She didn't want to burden him. He was already in a sticky situation considering his relationship with the Walker family, she didn't want him to worry for her. Everything had been fine that time, even if he was away, he was still with her. He had made a promise of forever to her. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that Usui would cut all ties with her.

It had been six years since she had last heard from him, but every time she would hear this recording, this 30 second phone call, it would all come back. She noted how his voice sounded cold and distant that day, how he broke up with her without any fuss.

Misaki called him, every day. She would cry and cry and cry, and call him, text him. She would send him so many messages, but never did a reply come. It had taken her months to even realize that he really had left her for good. For once, she had even decided to go to England and ask him what the fuck was he thinking. She wanted to confront him directly.

It was also a possibility that The Walker family had persuaded him to cut all ties with her by playing some dirty trick on him. But she decided against it the day she was shown a photograph of Usui and some other girl on the cover of a magazine, courtesy of Aoi-Chan. The caption had said, _"The Prince has finally returned to his Darling"_ , Needless to say, she knew that Usui had found someone else. She vowed to never cross paths with him again.

His memories still haunted her. She had wished to lock his memories away from her heart for good. At the remembrance of the simplest touch, or a passionate kiss, or the presence that was Takumi Usui, her scars would become fresh, her body would start to shiver, her body would freeze, and hot tears would flow.

She had tried to move on, _she did_ , but it was easier said than done. Every time she would try to move on, something would remind her. She could _not_ forget him.

Misaki sat down on the floor with her back against the wall. Tears flowed out from her eyes and they were welcomed.

After a long time, Ayuzawa Misaki cried.

 **please tell me what you guys thought ;)...What are your thoughts? and where is Takumi?! D; and whats wrong with Misaki?**


	3. Chapter 3

"Ayuzawa", came the smooth, flawless voice she loved.

"What baka Usui?! Shouldn't you be sleeping right now? What time is it anyway?" Misaki shouted at him playfully as her heart fluttered.

"Misaki", his tone now cold and intimidating.

"We need to talk, Misaki"

Misaki was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard his stone cold voice.

"WH-What happened Usui?! Stop scaring me like that! What do you want to talk about?"

"Let's break up. I'm sorry." there was silence at the other end.

"Usui?"

"Hello?"

"I seem to be having a bad connection"

"U...sui?"

Misaki went pale. She cut off the call to find that the call ended seconds ago, she called back again, her system filled to the brim with fear and panic.

He did not pick up.

Her fingers shivered. Her fingers were not working normally, she bit her lip and tried to type him a message as quickly as she could

"If this is a sick twisted prank of yours baka I will kick you so hard you'll land on planet pheromones!"

No reply was received.

"Usui Takumi! YOU BETTER NOT BE FUCKING WITH ME"

No reply.

"Usui?"

No reply.

Misaki bit back a sob as she sent him one last text.

"...Takumi?"

No reply.

She saw Takumi standing in front of her, his arms wide open as he gave her his genuine smile. She extended her hand towards him. She saw herself trying to reach out to him but before she could, he turned around and walked away. She kept on calling his name, but he walked off regardless. She kept screaming his name over and over, but he just wouldn't stop. She kept running but the distance between them kept increasing.

Misaki woke up with sweat on her body and tears in her eyes, it looked like she had fallen asleep after a long cry. Her heart was beating so fast. She tried to calm her breath which was short. _Another nightmare_ , she sighed as she wiped her face with the back of her hand and went inside, her face was all damp and sweaty. She took off the towel she had been donning since night and placed it in her cabinet and went to the bathroom where she stood under the shower as if convincing herself that the water will take her tears and the pain away.

After coming out of the cold shower, she dried up her hair and looked in the mirror as she thought to herself.

What must be Usui doing right now?

Did he ever think about her?

Did he ever miss her? Hell, did he even love her?

At that time, she knew that he didn't have eyes for anyone other than her. But now when she thought about it, did he really love her? Or was he just bored? She had trusted him too much. Her tears were flooding back along with the memories of her first love. Every kiss, every touch. Every second spent in each other's embrace, it was all coming back to her.

She looked at her reflection, she knew she wasn't the prettiest girl on the planet, but why did Usui leave her? If he never liked her, why did he do so much for her? Was she not good enough for him? Did he really find someone else in England? She had entertained the possibility that the photograph which she saw on the magazine cover was a hoax. She didn't know what to think anymore. Is that why he left her? Because he found someone better than her? Was he currently sleeping soundly with someone else in his arms as she wept for him?

She had so many questions in her mind. She wanted to know so much. She craved to see him so badly, but she knew that it would kill her-both literally and emotionally, if she saw him with someone else. She didn't want to cross paths with him. That was the reason why she never left Japan, and when her boss told her they were moving her to England, she was speechless. The last thing she wanted to do was to cross paths with Usui Takumi. She didn't want to look at him being happy with someone else. It would kill her. She decided then and there, she was going to refuse going to England.

And that was it.

She knew that if she set foot in England, their paths were sure to cross. His family was a big name in England and Usui, being the heir, was bound to be royalty. So she had decided to say no. She would wish Usui all the happiness in the world from a distance. She will ask god to give him everything he desires and she will go on with her own life.

With pain replaced by determination, she wiped her tears and got in her bed with sleep far, far away from her mind.

Ayuzawa Misaki woke up disoriented with an empty stomach. Thanks to the eventful day yesterday, she barely ate. Sighing, she removed the covers and got out of her bed. She rubbed her eyes, and went to the bathroom.

After taking a bath and changing into her formal clothing, which consisted of a navy blue palazzo and a matching shirt with a thin blazer, she looked into the mirror. She looked pale, really pale. So, she decided to fix her appearance up with some foundation; she pinched her cheeks, in hopes of getting a little color on her face. She flipped her hair and twisted them into a loose bun. Satisfied with her semi-normal face, she headed into the kitchen to find something to eat.

She found some garlic bread. Putting on some ketchup, cheese and oregano onto the bread, she put it into the microwave oven. She had learnt to make it from the Maid latte cooks once. She had been so happy to be able to make it without burning the whole cafe up.

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

She took the bread out without burning her fingers and with a victorious grin, as if she had won a Nobel Prize, she dug in.

She reached the office on time. She had to take the train again, not that she minded. It was nice to have some change.

The rest of the day was uneventful, everything went fine. She drowned herself in paperwork. She remembered to text the bastard the restaurant for their "meeting". She didn't know what he was up to, but she agreed to meet anyway. How much harm could it be anyway? It was just lunch after all.

At lunch time, she got out of her office to go to the restaurant. It wasn't far. Just a five minute walk from her office, she decided to walk. Walking felt good. It wasn't too sunny, a warm breeze had replaced the harsh sun. She walked peacefully.

She reached the restaurant in five minutes. She stood in front of the restaurant for a moment as she waited for her breath to calm down, her heart was beating too fast and she felt strange. She rarely had the time to exercise, but it was still weird how her heart was beating so fast, she had only walked! Shrugging her thoughts away, she made a mental note to get checked up when she got the time.

After entering inside, she asked the waiter for a table for two, to which he obliged and showed her the table.

She sat patiently after drinking a glass of water. She checked her phone to find if he had texted her.

Misaki _~ I am here at Gusto's._

After a two minutes, the reply came.

 _~ Look up._

A tall figure approached her.

He wore a simple blue shirt and denim jeans. His blond hair had been pushed back and he wore the same cocky smile he did since the first day she met him.

"Well, well, isn't this too casual for the CEO of Igarashi Corporation", Misaki smirked as he came to their table.

She got up and shook hands with him.

"My, My, still coy as ever eh _Kaichou_. As expected from you, how observant", Tora Igarashi smiled as he took her hand. Misaki pulled her hand back and they both sat.

"So how are you doing?" Misaki said, trying to be friendly.

"Quite well, I must say. How about you, Misaki?" He said, without a hint of mischief while always coated his voice.

"I am fine too", Misaki looked at him, He had gotten taller, and more handsome.

She wondered if he was still the womanizer he had been in high school. Although they had gone to the same university, Misaki had barely talked with him. They had different departments and honestly, even if they did, Misaki doubted they would ever become " _friends_ ", they had such a history after all.

Small talk was made, they talked about trivial things such as work and routine. Both made sure not to get too personal. They ordered lunch, and ate in silence.

In the middle of having lunch, Misaki finally said, "So what "Business" did you want to talk about? And where the hell did you get my number?"

Tora stopped eating, and looked at her.

"Geez, it was just a trick to get you to go on a date with me Misaki-Chan", he gave her a toothy grin.

"You conceited bastard", Misaki gaped at him.

"Just Kidding. The reason I called you up was to give you an offer. As for your number, I got it from your boss. He has been our acquaintance for a long time."

"What offer?" Misaki looked at him. She stopped eating altogether.

"Well, I heard that you got the offer to manage the Britain branch of Azalea. The news has spread all over the corporate market. So I wanted to make you an offer."

 _Eh? Was it really that big of a deal?_ Misaki thought, _well, too bad._

"Although, I know you are going to join England because of your boyfriend", Tora smirked, "But still"

If Misaki had been drinking or eating something, she was positive that she would have landed on Tora's face.

She sighed as she put a hand over her chest. Tora didn't know of their breakup, nobody did. Except her family and friends at Maid Latte. They were shocked for a very long time, telling Misa to quit joking. But when they had seen the negative changes in her demeanor, they knew.

Misaki shook her head and looked at Tora, "So what is your offer anyway? Might as well hear it."

"I want you to join Igarashi Corp. as my business advisor. Basically, you'll get to boss me around on what's best and what's not, and things like managing international affairs too."

"Why me?"

"Well, for one, you are an important asset. If the word leaks that you are quitting, every company would love to get their hands on you", he looked at her, "How can I sit back and watch? And second, we've known each other; If not closely, at least to some extent. In our world, we can't just take anyone for the job and expose confidential information, you know that's too risky."

"Why all of a sudden? What happened to your PA and friend Maki?" Misaki shot him a glare. She wanted to make sure he wasn't playing games with her.

"He's no longer assisting me. He's moving to the European branch and I need someone in Japan", he talked in a serious tone, his voice giving nothing away.

Just Business. He didn't show any signs of lying. As a professional, Misaki was trained in reading people's faces.

"I'll think about it."

"If you're worried about the pay, Igarashi Corps is ready to pay you double of what you're getting right now. We're ready to negotiate if you want more."

"I-It not about money, there are", she stopped for a moment. After finding the right words to say, she said, "I have... Some things I need to sort out. I'll let you know."

"Take all the time that you need, Misaki."

Misaki merely smiled. As if on cue, Tora's serious face changed to a devious one.

"At least I got one date with Ayuzawa. You made my day", he smirked.

"Bastard", Misaki grinned.

His smile was contagious, Misaki felt that Tora's attitude had changed. He was a better person now. She felt good about her decision of meeting him. They continued lunch in silence, talking about small things about his life. When the cheque was presented, Tora urged to pay. Being the proud lady that she was, she didn't let him. Both of their egos clashed which ended in sarcastic bickering. The waiter suggesting splitting up the bill after witnessing their trash talks and like kids, they did.

Misaki looked at her wrist watch and told Tora that her time was up. They both got up to leave and Tora asked her where she had parked her car. She told him how some kid smashed his bike in her car and they both laughed. Tora told her that he would be happy to drop her to her office but she refused, saying that it was a five minute walk. To which Tora snickered and told her, "Just get in the car woman!" and Misaki smacked his shoulder playfully.

Tora opened the door of the car like the gentleman that he wasn't before, and she hopped in. He dropped her off and went to his own office. Telling her that he'll be waiting for her reply.

Misaki went back and resumed her work. She had a board meeting to attend to.

The meeting went smooth and it was almost eight pm. She felt quite well after lunch. She got the feeling that Tora had changed. Misaki took her things and decided to head home.

As she found an empty seat in the train, she sat down and took out her iPhone. She had missed calls from home. She had forgotten to call them back. It had been a week since she had conversed with them. She missed her mom, so she decided to call her as soon as she reached home.

The rest of her journey passed peacefully as she gazed out of the window and looked at the stars, she was resisting the urge to fall asleep. She was tired.

She managed to reach her apartment without falling asleep on the road. Thankfully, the elevator had been repaired and she didn't have to climb ten floors.

Rest of the night was normal. She had called her mom, who was worried sick. Everyone was fine there. Her mom had been constantly nagging about eating well, Misaki rubbed her temples. She had remembered how her mom said in a creepy tone, _"Misaki-Chi! Eat well okay?! If you pass out from dehydration or starvation, you won't even have anybody to take care of you. I did tell you to move here dear, so that I can take care of Misa"._ Misaki sighed as she told her mom she was doing "fine" and she didn't have to worry about her. Dinner had been boring, instant noodles that is. She soon fell in deep slumber.


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N: Welcome back guys, I'm glad to see the positive response for this fic. Here's the next chapter! Enjoy.**

 _Solitude is bliss, Loneliness is sad, but nothingness? Nothingness is the worst... (Miss_Kirei)_

The rest of the week went slickly. It was Monday today. She was supposed to give her answer today. She knew clearly what she was going to say. She walked confidently and opened the door.

"Good Morning", she muttered to the man sitting in front of her. He had a smile plastered on his face.

"So, Make up your mind yet?" he asked her sincerely.

"Sir, I'd be honored to work in England"

The man merely smiled.

"But, I wish to refuse. For some reasons, I cannot", Misaki spoke with confidence. Her English was perfect now, without a hint of Japanese accent.

The man was caught off guard, He hadn't been expecting this. He regained his composure and gave her a professional smile.

"Alright, so what do you plan to do now? I'm sorry for sharing your contact information without your consent. The CEO of Igarashi Corp had personally made a phone call."

"It's fine. I understand."

"So what are you planning to do?"

"Uh. Can I get back to you on that in a few days?" Misaki totally forgot what she was going to do after refusing for England. She hadn't thought that far! _Gosh this isn't like me_. She frowned.

"Sure thing. You're excused now."

Misaki got out of his cabin. What was she going to do? Change division or Change Company? Everything had been going against her plans. She needed time to think.

She went to the cabin and took her purse. She needed some air. She told the receptionist she had somewhere to go, and would be back after lunch. She politely smiled and off Misaki went.

She picked up her phone to dial the mechanic's number.

"Hello? Mechanic-san, this is Misaki Ayuzawa speaking. I want to ask if my car was done."

"Ah, yes yes Miss Ayuzawa. We're ready for you. Do you want me to drop it off at your house?" the man said in his cherry voice which was way creepier than it should have been.

"No, it's fine. I'll come back to take it." Saying that, Misaki cut the call.

Misaki reached the mechanic's shop in half an hour. She paid for the taxi and went ahead.

Her car was finally back and as good as a new one. She had mentally shrieked when she saw the bill! Her poor car. Sighing, she got out. It had been an entire week without her car. She drove leisurely, enjoying the ride. She drove to the outskirts of the town at full speed. She was loving the feeling. The wind was cool and soothing. She felt at peace.

Satisfied with the view, Misaki stopped the car. The road was empty and nobody was around. It was very calm and soothing to her nerves. She let her hair down and got out. Misaki took off her heels and kept them in the car. She took out a can of beer and a sandwich that she had bought on her way. She parked her car near the hilltop. The view was nice. She sat on the trunk and opened the can of her juice.

There was no doubt that she loved her job. She had always been a workaholic. Apparently her USP had always been "Working to death", which could be applied in the most literal sense too.

She didn't want to change divisions. She was almost sure she would suck doing work other than this. What if she didn't like the division? Management was good, it suited her. She had the gut feeling she wouldn't be able to fit in somewhere else anyway.

She didn't know what to do. She was supposed to make her mind today. Sighing, she took out her iPhone and called someone she never thought she would.

"Hello?"

"What is it, woman?"

Misaki tch'ed, Leave it to Aoi Hyudou to annoy someone with a single line.

"Can't an old friend call?" Misaki could hear his glare through the phone.

"Sure, Sure, So what is it?" he said, more calmed now.

"Nothing, just felt like catching up. So how are things?"

"Just usual. The business has been through the roof lately, it was good thinking on my part to quit and start my own fashion line"

"Aa. Aoi-Chan, the big-shot designer in Paris", Misaki teased.

"Can't you drop the suffix, old hag?!" Aoi shrieked.

"Ne, ne, Aoi-Chan is cute", Misaki laughed. It was always fun to torture Aoi.

"Whatever, all I'm saying is that it's better to do what you like no matter the place. When you are doing what you like, the surroundings don't matter", the ex-idol finished his little soliloqui with a devious grin.

Misaki nodded, he was right. The place or the environment doesn't matter as long as you are doing what you like.

"That's true. So, Aoi-Chan, How is Honoka?" Misaki teased him, she could literally hear him blush and die. She tried to control her giggles and failed miserably.

Aoi was petrified to hear the sound of her voice. She was laughing like a maniac! He turned red, "That's it! I'm done with you!" Aoi cut the call after freaking out.

Misaki laughed till her stomach hurt. It felt good to catch up with Aoi. His unintentional advice had been genuine. Misaki finally set her mind. After spending a few more minutes in Nature's embrace, Misaki texted Tora.

Misaki~ _You free?_

The reply came after a few moments.

Tora~ _sure, can come to my office?_

Misaki~ _Be there in 20_

Tora _~ Ok._

She put her heels back and headed to the Igarashi Corps, after setting the location on her gps. She didn't know the exact location, so she searched Google maps.

She reached fifteen minutes later.

Igarashi Corporation was a huge company, its estate was massive. _As expected of one of the top companies in all Japan_ , Misaki thought.

The internal decor was very aristocratic. The walls were white and the furniture had been mahogany. The decorations were plain but not dull. Very business-like environment. The reception had a big chandelier in between the huge hall. There was a huge vase of fresh flowers kept in the middle of the glass table which was placed in between. Misaki approached the reception.

"Good Morning, How may I help you, Ma'am?" The receptionist was polite and smiled sweetly at her.

"A very good morning to you too, I'm here to see ", Misaki replied.

"Very well, your name ma'am?"

"Ayuzawa Misaki"

The receptionist made a few calls and told Misaki to wait a couple of minutes so she sat on the sofa and waited patiently.

A few minutes later, someone in a gray suit approached her.

"Miss Ayuzawa?"

"Yes. That's me", Misaki smiled.

"Mr. Igarashi is ready for you. Please take the elevator from the corridor to your left. Top floor."

"Sure, thanks."

Misaki got up and reached the elevator. It was surprisingly elevator. She got in and pressed the top button.

Misaki got out and reached another reception.

"I believe you are Miss Ayuzawa? Right this way, Ma'am."

Misaki politely nodded and followed her.

Tora's office was surprisingly not dark. She didn't know why she had expected it to be a large hotel room with hookers all around. When she didn't find any, she entered in.

"Konnichiwa, Kaichou", Tora teased.

Misaki face palmed. _Some things never change_.

"I'm sad to know that the CEO of Igarashi corps is a mentally retarded man", Misaki grinned.

"Very funny, have a seat", Tora motioned for her to sit and she did.

"So?"

"Well",

"After much thinking. I accept", Misaki said, hesitating.

"Wonderful", Tora clapped his hands. He didn't look like the most important person in the building right now. Misaki could only laugh at his tomfoolery.

"But I haven't resigned yet."

"Take your time"

Tea was presented afterwards. They sipped in silence. When Misaki got up to leave, Tora asked her for lunch.

"Have lunch with me?"

Misaki grinned, "I must be lucky. My future boss is going to grace me with his presence at lunch"

"Yeah yeah, don't you worry; I'm gonna dump loads of paperwork on your desk", He gave her a toothy grin.

"Like that's going to scare me. Bring it on, Boss-sama!" Misaki looked at him with an evil grin.

"Deal", Tora breathed, as they left his office.

Tora suggested taking his private elevator since people would find it weird to see him with her. His bodyguard trailed behind.

"Is he really required?" Misaki asked.

"Contrary to your beliefs, there are many people who would love to capture the CEO of Igarashi Corp and use me for their benefit", He said.

"So you are the Damsel in distress who needs to be rescued", Misaki teased. She couldn't help but be playful today. First Aoi and now Tora. _Poor victims_ , she mused.

"You just don't know the value of my life", Tora argued.

Lunch was as normal as their last one. After lunch, both of them parted ways to their own offices.

The rest of the week went smoothly. She wanted to finish her work before she quit. She didn't want her replacement to feel like she had dumped her pending work on him/her. So she pulled all-nighters everyday so that when she left, her work was all complete. Her routine had consisted of waking up, going to office, coming home, working all night. She had eaten Chinese take outs as they were easy to eat and didn't have any hassle.

She left her resignation letter in her boss' office somewhere in the middle of the week. She had three more days in the office and she had decided to make the best of it. The all-nighters were starting to take a toll on her but she was determined to finish everything before she left. She had completed all her documents the next day. She was tired beyond explanation, she hadn't eaten properly, or slept, but it was all worth it. Misaki felt relieved of her duties.

The next day, Misaki was sitting in her office reviewing a document. To say that she was tired would be the understatement of the year. She decided to eat lunch in the cafeteria. As she stepped down into the basement where the cafeteria was situated, she was surprised by her co-workers. The cafeteria had been decorated and said, "FAREWELL MISAKI-SAN". Misaki was shocked. She hadn't expected that. The silence of the cafeteria had been replaced by claps and cheers as she entered the door.

She was surrounded with people. She never thought someone would put in so much effort in sending away an employee, except if we were talking about Maid latte. Satsuki had gone over the edge throwing a farewell party for Misa.

She was given parting gifts by the few friends that she had managed to make. She also got a big gift card in which people had written things for her.

"Misaki-san, why don't you read it aloud? "Haruhi cheered.

"Yeah", everyone said in unison. Misaki blushed. _This is so weird!_

"Ano...I guess I could. Since everyone put in so much effort for me", Misaki was embarrassed.

"Misaki-san, we wish you success."

"Misaki-san is very hard working. I wish to be like Misaki-san one day"

"You are my idol Misaki-san! Please never change" Misaki scratched her head. She was red as a tomato. She was briefly reminded of the Ayuzawa School back in high school.

The party ended shortly after lunch and everyone was back to work. Misaki was speechless. It was bittersweet. She had been a part of Azalea for a long time now. She had promised them all to be in touch as she wished them success and happiness.

 **A.N: So what do you guys think? How will Misaki and Tora's business relationship turn out to be? REVIEW and tell me all about it. Thank you.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 : The After Effects—A Flashback**

 _I spend my days locked in a haze, tryna' forget you babe, I fall back down,_

 _I gotta stay high all my life to forget I'm missing you._

 _Staying in my play pretend, where the fun, ain't got no end._

 _Can't go home alone again, Need someone to numb the pain (Tove lo,_ Stay _high)_

 **Tokyo National University, Three Years Ago.**

 **POV- MISAKI AYUZAWA**

I wiped the sweat off my forehead as I exhaled one last breath, standing in front of the mahogany double doors. I was late for a lecture (I still don't remember how I managed to get unfashionably late, this isn't me at all). I opened the door and slipped inside as discreetly as I could, but I still managed to get a few eyes on me, not that I cared or anything. The professor didn't glance in my way, and simply continued to say what he had been saying until I interrupted. I managed to find a vacant seat by the window in the last and I headed there. I placed my notebooks and other belongings on the table and stared blankly at the presentation slides being displayed on the white board.

After twenty minutes of struggling to find my focus, I gave up. I could easily cover up whatever the hell that was being taught later at night after my two part time jobs (I had volunteered to work in a law firm part time during the evening, to learn a thing or two. I joined another part time job at a restaurant, since it keeps me refreshed and helps me keep my mind off certain things. I didn't have to do it for money, unlike my previous job in Maid Latte, since I was going to college on a full scholarship and my family was well off after my father, Sakuya, returned back to us. They have shifted to Hokkaido and I am more than happy for them. At least they found their happiness, but I cannot say the same for me).

Don't get me wrong, I muse to myself, I am not sad. Depressed. Lonely. Broken. Miserable. Angry. Hurt. No, I am not. I am just…empty. It's like there's nothing left for me to ponder about. My days are monotonous which consist of waking up, attending lectures, going to my part time firm, then to the restaurant, coming back to my dorm and studying. That's all, nothing interesting. _I just have to keep myself busy_ , is a mantra I keep repeating to myself. It is my self-rule, if I'll be busy enough, I won't have enough time to be distracted by thoughts. Unwelcome thoughts. I snort at myself, I'm neither a poet, nor philosophic. I'm just a regular girl, attending law and management in Tokyo U.

The rattle of leaves snap me out of my reverie and I fear that I've been caught by the professor. I sigh in relief as I look out of the window at my left, this isn't high school. Nobody cares if you're paying attention anymore. I look out of the window, I can see nearby tree branches swinging along with the wind. The view reminds me of the student council room of my high school, I used to spend a lot of time there. I smile at the fond memories, as I tear my gaze away, and stare at the board. Another rattle alerts me, my heart thumps in my ribcage and I bite my lip, unshed tears taunting me as I look at the window again, stupidly daydreaming—hoping to see a tall man with blond hair and forest green eyes, standing out of the window, appraising me with a charming smile that always made me weak in the knees.

 _Enough, you stupid, stupid girl_ , I chide my immature, innocent self as I stand up, almost too immediately, from my seat. I had totally forgotten where I was, I am greeted with hundreds of eyes, looking at me skeptically. I look down, almost in shame.

"Miss Ayuzawa, is something the matter?" The old aged professor looks at me, he knows I'm a good student, so his gaze is that of a worried person. I shook my head as I grab my belongings, "I'm sorry, I don't feel well. E-Excuse me" I blurt as I get out of that dammed—stuffy—room.

I ran out of the building as fast as my feet could carry me. I am greeted by the sky in the form of rain, I look up and stare at the sky, a few drops of rain drop on my face and I blink as I feel the cold water drops on my face. A smile comes on my face as a few hot tears of mine mix with the raindrops and roll down my neck and disappear.

Another painfully empty day passes and I'm relived from my shift at the law firm. I was able to concentrate on the work given to me—which was basically proofreading some letters, fetching coffee, making Xerox copies of documents, and re-reading some documents. I rub my eyes—sore from reading, and grab my bag. I step out of the building and start walking in the footpath. The rain has stopped and the weather is pleasant, I'm glad. As glad as I could be.

I walk inside the restaurant and the bell attached to the door clinks merrily. Ryan waves at me as soon as I enter- I managed to be friendly with a few people in Tokyo and Ryan happens to be one of them. I manage a smile and head to the main counter, punch my entry at the biometric screen, and start my shift. Ryan walks towards me carrying an order of burgers and smiles, "Hey" I say.

"You're early" He says as he hands me the tray, "Table number 5" He says and I turn, "Yeah, I am"

Here's the thing, time moves awfully slow for me. I don't know why, but sometimes it feels like a drag to go through the day. I find myself waiting for the day to end. I am restless, but everything is moving too slow for my taste. Hell, I don't know if something is wrong with me or with the world. I just wish things were same as high school for me. I was never free. I never had time. And I always complained about it. It seems like god has granted my wish. Everything is slow, steady, and calm. My world is fine—my family is happy and healthy, I have a promising future ahead of me, my grades are good, I earn enough to support myself and save money, but still…something doesn't feel right. How can my life be so fulfilled yet so, so _empty_?

I inwardly laugh and walk towards the table, I smile, and say "Enjoy your meal" I say with a practiced smile and walk away. I look around and see so many people, happy, smiling, enjoying their time. I smile more, and I thrive on their happiness, for the sake of my own. I'm glad that I work here part time, this place isn't as merry as Maid Latte, it's more practical and according to the fast city life, but still, it refreshes me.

I work my shift with a better state of mind as the evening passes by. Ryan walks by me with the last order and his shift is over too. He comes back and looks at me, "Is your shift over too?"

"I guess" I mumble as I sign out.

"You hungry?" He asks as normally as possible.

"Sure, I don't feel like going to the mess" I confess, I don't want to go to the mess and sit alone in a crowd full of known, yet unknown people. He gives me a boyish smile as he runs a hand through his hair, I look away as I try to remain impassive. He nods and we walk out of the restaurant, "I don't feel like going to the mess either" He's in the same program as me, law and management. I remain silent as we walk outside, I look up at the sky, which is empty, just like me. There are no stars twinkling, the only illumination we have is that of the street lights. Tokyo is alive the entire night, unlike my hometown where the town closed by midnight.

"So, where do you wanna eat?" He asks, "Anywhere I fine, you have some place in mind?" I ask nonchalantly.

"I know a great Chinese place down the road" He says as he walks with his hands in his pants, "Okay, let's go there" I say. We walk down the road silently, Ryan doesn't force me into conversations, and I like that about him. He's a great friend, I think, as I look up at him. He's looking in front. I look away as my heart throbs painfully, and the realization dawns upon me. He's not him. He doesn't have soft messy blond hair, he doesn't have sparkling forest green eyes. He's not Takumi. I stop dead in my tracks, _what the fuck am I even thinking?_ I feel angry at myself as I foolishly allowed myself to indulge in his thoughts. Why is it so hard for me to not think about him? Why can't I go one day without thinking about him? Perhaps this walk in the night with a friend reminded me of how Takumi used to walk me home every night after my shift from work. Great, now I'm reminiscing.

"Earth to Misaki? Hello?" I look up, Ryan is staring skeptically at me. He waves his hand in front of me a few times. I stutter, "Huh? Sorry I—I" I am at a loss of words, what am I supposed to say?

"Are you okay? You're more aloof than you usually are" He said as his lips curl up into a smile. His raven hair shine under the street light. I laugh, "Sorry" I make a comic face and we resume walking. I sigh, I'm getting better at faking my own emotions.

"Are you sure though?" He looks at me, worriedly now.

I stick my tongue out, huh? Is this actually me? "Hurry up or I'll leave you behind" I say as I start running.

Ryan jogs behind me "Are we really doing this?" he's chuckling.

"Why not? Did I scare you?" I tease more as I speed up.

"You're so on, loser treats the winner" He said as he speeds up.

"Prepare to lose" I said with a spark of challenge. I run fast and leave my gloomy thoughts behind. I feel the cool breeze on my face as we run downtown towards the Chinese restaurant.

I feel much more cheered up when we reach, sadly, we reached together, so it was a tie. We decide to split up the bill as we sit down, trying to catch my breath. I'm flustered from the lack of oxygen, I look up at Ryan, who is in the same condition as me. We broke into laughter.

"I think that you purposely slowed down" I accuse him as I eat my dumpling.

Ryan places the chopstick down and eyes me "Why would you say that?"

"Because it's impossible to reach at the same time!" I argue.

"I believe nothing is impossible, I think it's possible for the race to be a tie in the same way I believe that it's not impossible to put a real smile on your face" he says in a serious tone and looks at me with a smile.

"Why are you even talking about" I mutter as I eat another dumpling.

"I'm talking about your fake smiles and laughs that you fool the world with" He said as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, I freeze in my spot.

"You're mistaken, Ryan" I say in a serious tone. I don't want to lead him on and disappoint him later.

"I will wait, Misaki, for you and your real smile" He spoke as he started eating again. I look away, my appetite has vanished. I don't want him to expect something from me which I'm not capable of. And for sure do I know that I'm not capable of this.

"Waiting for me will lead you to nothing but disappointment" I blurt out when we walk out towards the hostels. Ryan looks at me with a raised eyebrow, "Why?"

"Because" I pause, trying to find the right words, "Because I'm not capable of this, Ryan. I…I can't" I fail to explain myself, the words are stuck in my throat. The realizations dawned upon me too late, we have been friends for the last two years, but I never entertained the possibility of him having feelings for me, but now that they're clear, I don't want him to expect anything from me. I don't want to break any hearts, I don't want to be involved in anything that involves feelings, because I know what it feels like. I can't put anyone through what I'm _(still)_ going through.

"Why not? Misaki, you know that I have feelings for you. Why are you refusing to accept that? I don't even want to hear your reply, I just want you to know how I feel." He says and my eyes widen. _No, no, no! I didn't expect this, I can't let this happen._

"NO! Ryan!" I yell, my eyes are burning from unshed tears again, what have I done?

"Why, Misaki?" He inquires as he stops walking altogether.

"You don't even know me" I plead, please get away from me. Please. Please.

"I know you enough" He retorts.

"You don't" I look down. How do I explain this?

"Even I don't know myself anymore" I confess again, he looks at me.

"I've noticed enough to know that you're going through something. I've waited for you to speak up and share. I've waited, and I'm willing to wait. I just want to help you through whatever you're going. I just want to see you be happy" He says as he holds my shoulders, I'm forced to look up into his eyes.

"It's not that simple. I can't explain, I can't tell because there's nothing to tell! There's nothing left…" I mumble, a laughter escapes me. Ryan looks at me probably because of the tears flowing out of my eyes before I can stop them.

"There's nothing left in me. I have nothing left to offer you. I'm empty, fucking empty. I'm damaged! Too damaged!" I push him off me as sadness overcomes me. I turn away and wipe my tears, "I'm sorry, Ryan. I'm sorry" I allow myself to cry freely, after five months.

"You'll always have a friend in me, Misaki" He urges, I look back at him.

"I wasn't always like this. I never even cried." I confess with a laugh, I don't even know why I am telling him this, "I'm not the girl for you, Ryan" I speak one last time as my emotions fade away from my face, my eyes are burning red and my façade is back. My walls are up high, and this time, they won't go down for some guy. Because they all _leave_. They all fucking leave in the end. I've witnessed that, and I've gone through that too. I turn on my heel, "I'm sorry for wasting your time. Good night" I say and walk away.

I slam the door to my room shut as I come inside, I don't even bother to turn the lights on. I'm glad I don't have any roommates. I like being alone, away from any human company. I sit down on my bed, anger bubbling through me. Ryan may be a nice guy, but I don't feel so sorry about steering him away from me. It's for the best anyway. For his own and mine as well. I don't want to be associated with any man. I don't want to get hurt again. I don't want to be broken again. I can't manage to fuck myself up more than I already am. I just can't.

I pick up a thick book from my study table and bury myself in it. This time, I will build stronger walls around myself, so that nobody can penetrate through. I don't need anyone to comfort me, relieve me, help me. I'm not a fucking child. I'm a grown up. I can manage on my own. I don't need anyone's help. I've been fucking stupid before, I won't be now.

Yes I was stupid, stupid to let him in. Stupid to allow him to break down my walls I had so carefully built as a child. Takumi Usui came into my life and robbed me of my heart and soul. I won't let anyone else take anything that has been left. I'm damaged enough already. I don't need more to add on to it. I have nothing left in me. Men have always taken things from me. First it was my father—who left us in debt and left without a care in the world. Then it was him.

I threw the book away in frustration, which was now wet because of angry hot tears that had dropped on the pages of the book. I wash my face with ice cold water, in hopes of feeling better. I feel so angry at myself. I wish I hadn't been so stupid and blindly trusting, at least I would have saved myself from the pain that I go through now, every day. This feeling of emptiness, pain, longing, yet the urge to stay alone, is something I have never experienced before. When my father had left, I hadn't felt this bad. I thought that was the worst thing that happened to me, and that nothing could scar me more than that. Oh how wrong was I.

With a sleeping pill in my hand and a glass of water in another, I vow never to let my walls down for any man ever again as I drink the water and down the pill. I will never ever let anyone in. I will never indulge in love. I will never anyone know of my damaged self. I cannot afford to get hurt again, because I don't even know if I will survive _this_.

I close my eyes and wait for this self-forced sleep to drown me in, it's amusing how my one shot of peace is a pill away nowadays.

 **A.N: Let me know how this came out.**

 **Next Time: I will answer questions regarding the relationship between Tora & Misaki, so drop them as reviews. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A.n:**

 **1\. Okay, I'd like to make up for the lack of action in the previous chapter. It was merely a filler/flashback that served only one purpose –throwing light on Misaki's characterization, how she coped up with the breakup and the disappearance of Takumi Usui from her life. It was only done to strengthen the plot.**

 **2\. Ryan, (Refer to chapter 5), is not a character you'll be seeing more of in the next chapters. He was only a memory from the past. I wouldn't call him another rival for Usui. Or Tora for that matter. *_wink_***

 **3\. The story will pick up its pace from now. I'm tired of building up the plot and I'm sure you guys are not enjoying this to the fullest too (I can see that this fic isn't as liked as my other two stories, LOL, I plan to change this fact.), but I can assure you, the future chapters will be better.**

 **4\. Tora Igarashi,** ** _hmm_** **, Igarashi Tora. Sigh. What an interesting character, right? I'd like to ask you for your hand and go through this journey with me which will end in you falling hard for Tora Igarashi. As for Misaki, let's see what fate has in plans for her. I hope she lives to see herself falling for him. Oops, spoiler, almost.**

 _Not sure how to feel about this,_

 _there's something in the way that you move_

 _makes me feel like I can't live without you_

 _it takes me out of the way_

 _and I want you to stay (Stay : Rihanna)_

Her last day in Azalea had been spent cleaning her cabin. She took out all sticky notes off, all the photographs, file and folders, pens, pencils, those stationary items everyone borrowed from her, and placed all her memories in a cardboard box. She was so glad it was Friday. She was going to spend the weekend sleeping. She grabbed her belongings and stepped outside her office after saying her goodbyes. She was going to miss Azalea.

She reached her home late around 10pm. She was exhausted. Her eyes were red and her skin was pale. She grabbed the cardboard box from her car in which her belongings were kept and headed to the elevator.

The damn thing was broken again, so she had to climb ten floors in heels with the huge box. Being the demon she was, it was nothing compared to her college days when she had to pull up all-nighters because of her two part time jobs and studies. She wasn't used to working that hard anymore. Compared to that, these days were practically like a vacation to her.

Feeling fired up after remembering how badass she was, she challenged herself to run the flight of stairs. She was gonna treat herself to ice cream if she reached her unit in 5 minutes. She looked at her watch and noted the time. It was 10:25pm right now. She kept her purse inside the cardboard box along with her phone and ran!

She ran so fast she scared the poor oba-chan who lived in her building. The poor woman almost had a heart attack! Misaki reached her unit at 10:31pm, she was so disappointed at herself. She had been panting now. Her face red, she was sweating copiously. She grumbled as she leaned against her door and gasped.

She threw the box somewhere in her room as soon as she unlocked the door. She closed the door clumsily. Everything was spinning now. She was starting to see black spots. _This wasn't a good idea_ , she hurried to the kitchen to get herself a glass of cool water. She washed her face in the sink and tried to calm her nerves but to no avail. She placed her palms against the kitchen counter and stared blankly at the granite slab. After finally gathering enough energy to walk, Misaki tried to reach her bedroom in a slow pace. Everything was becoming a blur. She could see her bed in view now. With a thud, she landed on her bed and closed her eyes.

Misaki woke up feeling rather disoriented. Everything hurt. She sat up groggily and instinctively rubbed her head. Her surroundings felt too bright to her. She couldn't look up. She tried to get up to switch off the lights but realized that it was morning already. The sun had been peeking inside her window and its rays were too harsh for her eyes. As she tried to look at her window, her eyes started to water up. It was too much sun!

Heaving a sigh, she tried to put up one last fight and managed to close the windows. Her room was dim now, she could see clearly. She looked at her wrist watch to find that it was early morning. Her stomach was grumbling. She needed to eat.

She felt a little better after drinking some fruit juice which she found in the fridge. At least her vision wasn't blurry anymore. After eating a light snack, she decided to bathe. Misaki had never felt this weak before. This felt a little…strange. She knew she had no choice but to go to the doctor today. Misaki sighed. _So much for a peaceful weekend_.

Misaki managed to find some energy giving pills in her drawers. They didn't make her feel better. She tried to lay down for a while. An hour passed, she still wasn't feeling better. She rubbed her temples, her head hurt. As if on cue, she immediately got up and ran towards the sink. She emptied down everything she had eaten into the sink. She was dizzy. Even if she tried to drink water, it ended up in her sink! This was absolutely insane.

She decided to call her doctor, since she was in no position to move whatsoever, who arrived after some time. Misaki could not keep track of time, everything was either spinning or ending up in the sink.

Somehow she was able to open the door when the doorbell rang. The doctor was by her side in a flash. She had been Misaki's doctor for a while now and knew very well that she was a workaholic.

Dr. Ayame was glad that she had made the wise decision of taking a nurse along. Misaki didn't sound well on the phone. And she wasn't either. Dr. Ayame quickly gave Misaki an injection which soothed the pain. Her headache and vomits visibly reduced in half an hour. An IV was inserted in her vein and a bottle of glucose was hung on her bedpost.

As Misaki rested, the doctor left and told her nurse to keep an eye on her. She had instructed her to give another injection if the problem persists. Telling her that she would be back in half an hour, Dr. Ayame left.

Misaki had woken up sometime later. Although she was glad that she hadn't ended up in a hospital room, her room didn't look any less than one either. She saw a nurse sitting by her side. As Misaki tried to get up, the nurse helped her sit by putting a pillow in between the bedpost and her back, so as to support her.

"I'm sorry for calling on such a short notice. I wasn't feeling well" Misaki apologized.

The nurse gave her a trained smile, "It's alright Miss Ayuzawa. You made a wise decision. You were in no condition whatsoever to go to the hospital anyway."

Misaki felt ashamed, her cheeks reddened and she was waiting for the earth to swallow her already. She knew she was going to hear it from Dr. Ayame today. She had skipped so many regular checkups.

As if sensing her discomfort, the Nurse finally broke the silence. "It seems like the Doctor will be visiting you in a few minutes. Until that, let's check you up"

Misaki nodded and she pulled her sleeves up.

The nurse took her temperature, blood pressure and pulse. Misaki just sat there awkwardly. Doctors were scary.

"Alright", the Nurse said, after writing things down, "Your blood pressure seems to be fine, and you have a little fever which should subside till night, and your pulse…" She looked up at Misaki who paled at the notion.

"Your pulse is low, which is abnormal", the nurse said as she gave her a glass of water, "It should be fine in sometime."

Misaki quietly took the glass and heard a knock at the door. Dr. Ayame was here.

Dr. Ayame quickly asked the nurse about the "patient's" condition and the Nurse backed off as she gave Dr. Ayame a chair.

"Well, Misaki. How are we feeling now?" She asked as she began writing down some medical jargon which was beyond Misaki's understanding.

"I've been better" Misaki confessed.

"Alright, Nurse, why don't you wait outside while I ask Misaki a couple of questions", She gave her a smile and she obliged with a smile.

"So, I'm going to ask you some questions. Are you comfortable talking?"

"Yes."

"When was the last time you got your period?"

"This month, first week"

"Alright, First of all, did you have sexual intercourse this month?"

Misaki blushed, "N-No."

Dr. Ayame paused for a moment, as if thinking about something. She began again.

"When was the last time you had REAL food?" Dr. Ayame looked straight into her eyes.

Misaki wished the earth would swallow her whole right now.

"Last week? Or maybe…I had a lot of—"

Misaki was cut off, "Work, Yes I know", Dr. Ayame said, disapprovingly.

Dr. Ayame wrote some tests for her and medicines for her and gave her the paper.

"Get these tests done and visit me with the results. As per your situation, your body is rejecting everything that you are eating and that's why you got vomits. As for the fever and headaches, they're due to work, stress and anxiety. I suggest two full days of bed rest and starting off with liquid foods. Nurse Hitoshi will stay with you till tonight, or tomorrow night, should you feel sick. Feel free to ask her for assistance. Your body is weak right now Misaki, It needs rest", Dr. Ayame finished, she glared at her seriously. Misaki gulped.

Seeing Misaki so freaked out, Dr. Ayame smiled and patted her shoulder. "I'm saying this more as a friend and less as a doctor, your body needs rest Misaki. You need to rest" Misaki nodded. This is not how she had envisioned her Saturday.

Dr. Ayame left shortly after that. Her Saturday had been spent in the care of Nurse Hitoshi. She was a stern woman. Misaki unobtrusively obeyed her and stayed good. Nurse Hitoshi gave her chicken soup for lunch. It had been so long since she had homemade food. She was silently grateful to be in Nurse Hitoshi's care. Misaki felt very well by the end of the day. She thanked Nurse Hitoshi for taking care of her and told her she would visit the doctor's with the results on Monday. Nurse Hitoshi left sometime around evening and told Misaki that there was some left over soup in the fridge and she only has to heat it up. Misaki smiled brightly and thanked her for the help.

Saturday night was spent watching movies and sipping soup by Misaki. She felt better now. She slept a little better and rested the next day too. She went to the pathology center to get her tests done in the evening. _That was freakish!_ Hospitals were creepy for Misaki. Sunday passed peacefully and Misaki had recovered a hundred percent. In fact, she felt very well.

Monday came and Misaki was more than ready for her new job. She got up early and took a bath. She felt energetic today. She had a sumptuous breakfast which consisted of fruits, garlic bread (the same one she always made), and a milkshake. She wore a black business suit and did a side partition on her hair; made a high ponytail out of her hair and put on a dark lipstick.

Misaki reached the Igarashi Corp. at sharp 8:50am. She parked her car and headed inside.

"Good Morning Ma'am, How may I help you today?" the receptionist asked with the same cherry smile as before.

"Hi. Uh, I'm Misaki Ayuzawa. New employee."

"Yes Ma'am I've been informed about you. Mr. Kei will show you to your office"

In a few moments, appeared. He wished her a good morning and led the way.

The people were very friendly at Igarashi Corp. It had a pleasant working environment. Misaki was shown her office which was on the twentieth floor. She mentally prayed that the elevators worked else she was going to die from climbing stairs!

The office was beautiful! It had a bright atmosphere, not stuffy or disconsolate like regular ones. Misaki already liked it here. The interior design was neither too flashy nor too dull. It had a nice feeling to it. Misaki was told that Mr. Kei was there to help her adjust on her first day and she was free to "call" him up, should anything be the matter.

"Alright Miss Ayuzawa. Here is the Keycard to your office and a few other things like your ID cards and other documents. You're scheduled to have a meeting with in thirty minutes. I trust you know the path to his office?"

"Alright thank you", Misaki said as she took the file from him, "And yes, I know the way. Thank you so much"

"Very well then, I shall excuse myself now. Have a good day" Mr. Kei left.

At last Misaki was left to her own devices. She sighed in content. She felt positive today.

She went on and looked around. It wasn't too large, or too small. It was just right. She made herself comfortable and put her things in her drawer. She placed her id card around her neck using its ribbon. She opened the file of documents and started to read them.

It contained the usual things—newbie stuff. It was basically an instruction manual on how to get around in the huge building without getting lost. It also listed the rules and regulations along with the company's policies. Apparently, they were allowed to wear casual clothing on Saturdays. The company had a strict policy against smoking and drinking in the company campus. _Who'd get drunk in their workplace's parking lot? Maybe people did do that. That's why the policy must've been framed in the first place_ , Misaki mused.

She got up, twenty five minutes later, and headed to Tora's office. She took her laptop along, just in case. She reached without much hassle. Tora's secretary greeted her in the same way the receptionist did. It was creepy sometimes how much they were trained.

She entered Tora's office and sat down. He was busy on a phone call. Misaki patiently waited for him to finish as she studied his features.

He looked different. Different in a good way—he was all serious and business. This wasn't the Tora Igarashi, president of Miyabigaoka high. No, this was a grown man. This was Tora Igarashi—CEO of Igarashi Corporation.

After he finished, both said their polite hellos. Tora showed her how she was supposed to get the work done and assigned her a Mr. Taka who would help her in acclimatizing to 'Igarashi Standards'. Misaki tch-ed. That bastard, she was going to show him 'Igarashi Standards'. She was supposed to give him weekly reports for a month and then Mr. Taka would be relieved. Misaki quickly processed all of the information. She was going to work hard.

Misaki finished her work at 5 and went to the pathology to collect her reports. She went straight to Dr. Ayame's.

Dr. Ayame told her she was fine for now, but she needed to do a few more routine checkups on her since something was "fishy". Her medicines were changed and she had to eat them for another week. Misaki got off the hook shortly later.

The rest of the month went by smoothly. Work was good, her weekly reports were excellent. Mr. Taka had commended Misaki on her hard work and he was relieved. Misaki had adapted to 'Igarashi Standards' and was happy to work there. Tora and Misaki barely saw each other except for work. Every now and then, they both went out for lunch together. Misaki learned that Tora wasn't a bad person. He just gave off the aura of an asshole.

/Misaki had to work with Tora on various projects and slowly both became good friends. Misaki didn't fully trust him but she knew she had found a friend in Tora. They bonded over deadlines and paperwork.

One Friday evening, Tora showed up in Misaki's cabin. Everyone was astounded thinking Misaki must be in deep shit. It wasn't every day you saw the CEO go to an employee's cabin! The office had been eerily silent as soon as he stepped out of his own office. He reached her cabin and got inside without knocking. Misaki, being Misaki, was too engrossed in work to even notice his presence. Naturally, she freaked out when Tora mouthed, "Boo", in a low voice.

Misaki was flabbergasted. She had been 'drowning' in her work again, and her boss-slash-best friend had freaked her out. He knew how scared she was of such things. "You bastard!" Misaki shouted at him after calming down.

Tora burst into fits of laughter and managed to keep a straight face as he pretended to chide her, "Is that how you're supposed to talk to your boss?"

Before Misaki could come back with a snide remark, Tora burst into laughter again. Misaki looked away, ignoring him.

"So, cutie", Tora's face was in front of her again, he smiled. "Movie tonight?"

Misaki replied while reviewing a document, "My place this time"

Tora nodded as he went outside, "Come to my office when you finish", he winked at her.

"Oh stop flirting with me!" Misaki rubbed her temple, _how did we become friends again?_

"Beautiful Misaki" Tora grinned and ran fast, to avoid any flying objects aimed at him.

Misaki soon finished her work and headed to his office. They both got out together and everyone had been staring at her.

They both had been the topic of gossip in the office. Some claiming that they were going out, while some said Misaki had Tora around her finger. When she would say that to Tora, He would merely smile and tell her that she shouldn't bother with them. When Misaki wouldn't stop worrying, He would make a serious face and ask her, "So, How many do I have to fire?" She would smack him playfully and they would continue their regular bickering.

Later that evening, both had been eating popcorn and watching a Jackie Chan movie. It was an action comedy movie and both couldn't control the fits of laughter.

Misaki's cheeks hurt till the time the movie ended. Tora went to her fridge to find something to eat and was shocked to find the amount of instant food it housed. He was no stranger to her cooking prowess but it was still shocking to see how little homemade food she ate.

"So, let's cook", Tora looked at her.

"Cook?" Misaki looked back.

"Why not?"

Misaki stood up from the couch and went to the kitchen. Both looked innocently at the kitchen counter.

"So, what do we cook? Do you know how to make something?" Misaki inquired.

"I don't know? Let's look at our options"

Misaki took out everything she had that would classify as "Food ingredient", there was a huge pile of canned food and a few vegetables. Tora was silent, so was Misaki.

"So let's make curry?" Tora suggested. He and Misaki were equals when it came to cooking.

Misaki made a chibi face, "O-okay. So what do we do first?"

Tora took out his phone and googled the recipe. They had to cut the vegetables first.

Misaki took out what all she had, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and a few tomatoes. She took out a chopping board and held a knife.

"Oy Baka! We're supposed to wash the vegetables first" Tora took the vegetables and began to clean them with water.

"I don't understand, they looked clean to me" Misaki mumbled to herself.

They managed to cut the vegetables together. It took them one and a half hour to cut the vegetables into weird chunks. Misaki pulled her hair and Tora's expression was unreadable. They managed to put on the pan and put oil in it. The vegetables were put in and they waited.

Nothing was happening! Misaki discovered that the cook top wasn't switched on yet. She looked at Tora sheepishly. Tora was at his limit. "THIS IS IT!" He shouted to nobody in particular and unlocked his phone and began to type furiously.

Misaki sat on the kitchen counter and stared at Tora. What were they doing!? She looked around, the kitchen was a mess but they were lucky not to have burnt anything yet.

In a few minutes, some people clad in formal chef clothes were barging in her kitchen. Misaki face palmed. The Baka had called his personal chef and his butlers! Tora grabbed Misaki from the kitchen slab and carried her in the same manner a child is carried. They both sat on the couch waiting patiently for the food.

The food was presented in a few minutes, unlike them, the chef was really fast. The food had been set out in Misaki's four seated dining table. It felt like they were sitting in a five star hotel. Misaki melted when she tasted the food. They both enjoyed supper and the chefs left. Tora called his driver and left soon afterwards. Regardless to say, they hung out at each other's places and decided to never cook again.

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	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **I am back with the next update of APOF. I had written around 20 chapters of this fic a few months ago, and now that I read it again while updating, I wasn't satisfied with the original version of the fic, where each chapter contained 2K words or so. Thus, I rewrote this chapter again, I'll appreciate if you guys told me how this came out—better or worse than the previous chapters.**

Summer went by in the blink of an eye and now stood at its apex, Misaki's work was going exceptionally well, and she had easily mended with the flow. She worked hard happily, and continued to skip her routine check-ups that her doctor, Ayame, had strictly told her to attend. But since Misaki had self-declared to herself that she was doing just fine and didn't feel the need to spend time and money in placed she loathed i.e. the hospital, she didn't go.

And over the course of time that she spent with her boss and friend, Tora Igarashi, she became more than aware of his feelings towards her, painstakingly so. She wasn't a teenager who wouldn't know if someone sent heated looks her way, she was a grown up. She understood these things, not being a stranger to love and lust herself. She would often catch Tora glancing her way when he supposed she wasn't looking. She would understand his body language and gestures, especially around her. And it bothered her. Even though the blond never voiced his feelings out loud to her, which made it easy to ignore. She knew why he did so, since he still presumed that the girl was in a serious long distance relationship with her high school sweetheart, Takumi Usui. The thought almost made her scoff sarcastically. _If only he knew._

If only he knew how Usui Takumi had left her via a thirty second phone call, just like a toy he had no reasons to play with anymore. If only he knew that she was broken inside because of one boy she had decided to trust after her father left the family. If only he knew that she was emotionally damaged for life. If only he knew how the said girl spent majority of her free time living in Usui Takumi's memories, crying for nights, hoping that this self-imposed torture would someday come to an end. Hell, he thought the tired and weary look in her eyes wasn't because of what she told him as "Monday effect". If only!

Anyway,

She knew that it wasn't a childish crush, which could be shrugged off easily. It was the look of lust in his eyes that made her go blank. It was so awkward for her! She didn't know what to do about it.

While on the other hand, Tora never dared to speak up his feelings, because he was positive that it would only sabotage their relationship. But he still didn't understand why she would go eerily silent on the mere mention of Usui's name. Even as a friend, he was curious about their relationship, but if he would even mention his name, forget about asking questions, she would be tight lipped. Hence, it would result in him changing the topic abruptly.

About Takumi Usui, Tora couldn't care less. He knew Takumi more as Takumi Walker, the heir of Walker fortune, the illegitimate son of Patricia Walker, daughter of Richard, the Duke of Raven Castle. The Walkers were an acquaintance of the Igarashi Foundation, but Takumi and Tora never were, and never would be. The only relation Tora would ever describe with Takumi would be rivalry.

And besides, his absence in Japan only favored him. He would never be as close to Misaki as he was now, Takumi would make sure of that. He wouldn't even let Tora within a five mile radius of Ayuzawa Misaki. After all, he had been a wretched jerk when he tried to obtain Misaki as he did with other girls. But what could he even do? He thought of her as a challenge back then but now…now he found himself unable to stay away from the raven haired girl. She was alluring—that Misaki Ayuzawa, the only girl to ever deny, reject, and disregard THE Igarashi Tora without batting an eyelash.

Nevertheless, Tora knew that he had to find out the reason behind her silence. He had to know, otherwise he'd be restless. He wanted to find out. So he had set a plan in mind. He was a man on a mission.

Which was exactly how the blond found himself on the doorstep of his legal advisor. He ran a hand through his hair and knocked.

"Hey! What brings you here?" stood Misaki in a loose off shoulder top with faded denim shorts. Her hair were clipped up and she had the TV remote in hand. Tora thought she never looked any better.

"I was just seeking for my advisor's help" he replied, deep in thought.

"What happened? You could have pinged me" she opened the door completely and let him in. Tora walked inside with his hands in the pockets of his pants. He sat down on the couch next to Misaki "I'm bored, let's go shopping"

"That's what you need my help in?" Misaki raised an eyebrow.

Tora smirked, thinking about an excuse "I want new cufflinks"

"You own a thousand, just put one on" she spoke dryly as she sat down next to him—one leg under the other as she changed the channels—as if looking for something to watch.

"But I want new ones" he said "I like to keep my wardrobe updated"

"So you're here to seek my help in choosing cufflinks" her jaw dropped. _Unbelievable_.

"Sure" he grinned.

Misaki sighed, she let a smile come on her lips "So when did Tora Igarashi start shopping from a lowly place such as Tokyo? Shouldn't his highness go to a fancy city like Paris?" she snickered.

"I'm tired of designers tailing me like dogs, I want to check out the Japanese markets this time" he spoke whimsically, like a bored king.

Misaki fake laughed and pretended to bow down "As you please, your highness"

In twenty minutes, they were out of Misaki's apartment, who had changed into a simple baby blue top with dark jeans, Tora walked next to her—in a dark charcoal shirt and denims. The duo made their way to the market place silently.

"So what do you think about this?" Tora showed her a pair of cufflinks which were black with a platinum base. Misaki averted her gaze from a gray tie she was checking out and picked up the small box from his hand and she examined the pair skeptically "Classy and bold, but you already have a similar pair, Tora" she said with a frown "Don't waste money"

"I'm just looking for something…unique. Something that I don't have. Something that's hard to get" he spoke thoughtfully as he looked at Misaki's reflection in the glass mirror walls. Misaki eyed him cynically—unaware—as she examined other cuff links placed in small boxes for them to check out. "What is with you?"

"I just like unattainable things, makes the victory sweet" he said as he placed the box on the glass counter and looked at the salesman in formals "I have this entire collection. Do you have anything else?"

"I'm afraid this is our newest collection, Sir. Can I show you any other accessories?" he inquired, very attentively "Sarah! Get some drinks for Mr. Igarashi and the lovely lady" the manager said in a panic, not wanting their customers to go.

"Right away sir!"

"Why don't you get something for Takumi while we're here?" Tora said nonchalantly as he looked at ties. As expected, Misaki stiffened. She removed her hand from the tie she was checking out and laughed "Oh, I can't find anything here"

Why did that laughter sound forced?

"But there's a lot to choose from, just pick anything you like"

After getting weird looks from Tora, Misaki sighed as she picked up the tie she was looking at moments ago and went to the cash counter. She got back with a small bag. "Are you happy now?" She would have to gift the tie away, soon. Not that Tora would know.

"Let's go" she added quickly and turned away, walking towards the next store "Do you want to check out other stores?"

"Sure" Tora walked slowly behind her, with his hands in pocket.

"Let's get coffee" Misaki said as she disappeared inside Starbucks, only to come out ten minutes later with two coffee cups. Tora smiled gratefully "Thanks, I couldn't find you inside so I came out"

"It's okay, it was quite crowded inside anyway" she spoke as they walked together on the sidewalk. The way how she dodged the topic was surely commendable, it was as if she was used to doing it. He made these observations quietly as he sipped his coffee and Misaki looked inside the window panes of stores and boutiques, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Let's get something for you" Tora spoke up after minutes of silence. They stood in front of a vintage store. Misaki looked up at the store board. The store name was in French.

"It means Life with roses" he filled her in.

"Tora I'm sure I don't want anything right now. I just shopped last week, and I hated it" she grumbled as he pulled her by the wrist and ushered them inside. She glared at him as they got surrounded by the manager.

"Hi! How can I help you today?"

"We're just looking" Misaki cut in, Tora merely laughed and the manager stiffened as she recognized Tora Igarashi.

"Mr. Igarashi, we can show your lovely girlfriend around. Please have a seat" she gestured towards the large plush couches where a number of butlers stood, ready to fulfill any of his wishes. Before Misaki could interject, Tora sent her a smirk and turned towards the manager. "I'll leave it up to you then"

"Yes! Don't worry a bit!" and she scurried towards Misaki and swept her into large racks of clothing before she could utter any more words.

"He's not my boyfriend" she mumbled, but it didn't reach the nervous manager who was showing her different dresses and accessories now. Misaki grumbled under her breath as she politely looked around for a few dresses.

"I'll take this" she pointed towards a sea green dress with pretty flowers on it. It would definitely look good on Suzuna. Misaki sighed, she bought two things today that were of no use. She went to the cash counter and dropped the item.

"No-No! It's on us" the store manager stood up and packed the items.

"I can't just have it!" Misaki said, even if it was for free and it made her happy, her pride would never let her take it. "Here" she presented her credit card to the lady, Tora stood behind with a hand on her shoulder "I've got this"

"I insist! It's on the house" the manager spoke and gave her a coupon "I'll give you 20% off discount coupons for the next purchase"

Misaki's lips curled up into a smile as she accepted the coupons "My sister will love these"

"Make sure you visit again with her" the lady encouraged and Misaki smiled with a nod. Suzuna loved coupons!

"Well that turned out fine, didn't it?" Tora asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, but" she smacked his shoulder "Let's head home already. You don't really wanna buy cufflinks, do you?" she looked at him with a sarcastic question. Of course he didn't.

"Not really" he grinned as he pocketed his hands. He didn't mention how he had the latest collection from Paris directly delivered at his doorstep.

"Great, I'm tired. Food, my place?" she offered with a smile as they headed towards the car parking.

"Sure"

Tora observed her profile as they drove home, Misaki was looking outside at the shining lights and Tora was looking at her, who shone brighter than anyone else, in his opinion. He laughed inwardly, what the fuck was up with him? More importantly, what the fuck was up with her? His lips thinned out in firm line as he looked in front. She had grown quiet at the mention of Takumi's name. Again. So he knew that it wasn't just another coincidence. He was more than ready for answers now.

They walked up her unit in silence. Misaki looked unusually distant. Tora sent a quick text as they walked in the hallway and reached her apartment.

"Can I get you a glass of water?" Misaki inquired as she unlocked the doors and invited him in.

"No water tonight" he grinned as he motioned towards her front door. A man clad in formals came in with a small trolley containing a mini fridge.

"What's in that?" Misaki said as she poured herself a glass of water and drank.

"Let's get drunk" he grinned ear to ear. Misaki sighed "You know that I don't drink"

"Just because you haven't tried alcohol before doesn't mean it's any bad" he said as he took out two beer cans and tossed one towards her. Misaki being Misaki with fast reflexes, easily caught it and looked at it contemplatively.

"This doesn't sound good to me"

"Of course it doesn't, since you're such a nun" he laughed "Don't tell me you can't down a drink"

"You underestimate me" she said with a glare as she opened the can.

"Let's see how tough you are, Ayuzawa" he challenged with a devious laugh.

"You bastard" she smirked as she brought the can to her lips.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to rape you while you're drunk" He teased her, reminding her of high school when he had pinned her to his desk—like the bastard he was. But he had changed, somehow when he was around this girl, he changed.

"As if!" she huffed. Misaki looked at him in disbelief. She had never touched the subject ever since they had become friends, but she didn't react, since Tora's tone was light. She let it pass.

"Hors d'oeuvres" He mouthed.

"Last one standing wins"

"Let's get this thing done already" Misaki said.

"Easy there", Tora only smirked as he saw Misaki drink the entire thing in ten seconds. She was so fired up that her energy was contagious, Tora couldn't wipe a grin from his face!

"Wooooooooooooowwwwwww" Misaki moaned as she clinked glasses with Tora, it was vodka's turn, finally "Started from the bottom—hic" she laughed "Now we're hic—here!"

"Not surprising at all" Tora grinned as he downed his drink. He was used to drinking, ever since he was a teenager. But Misaki on the other hand—

"You're such a lil hic-bitch Igarashi" she giggled as she smacked him on the arm.

"Sure" he said with an amused face "Tired of alcohol Ayu-za-wA?" he spoke as he poured her more vodka. "This is the light stuff"

"Who said I'm doneeE? You're done Tora, like dundundundundun!" She laughed more, fist in the air, glass in another. "Pour me your best" she grinned, like a cat.

Beer was soon replaced by vodka, vodka was taken over by whiskey, and whiskey was replaced by Tequila. Misaki was obliterated. Tora discovered that out of the various categories of drunks, Misaki was a crazy drunk. Tora, on the other hand, was a silent drunk. He was used to drinking since he was a teenager. Booze was one of the requirements of business. He laughed as he watched Misaki dance on top of the couch and yell something incoherent like "The night is still young" and "We're dopey"

Misaki hollered. She felt so full of energy but her movements were getting uncoordinated. She saw a blur of blond rolling on the floor. She recognized it as Tora. Misaki's face was red from all the alcohol, she started rolling next to Tora, they looked like two chocolate rolls on the floor. Quite a hilarious sight it was!

Tora kept laughing at Misaki's antics, booze would never get him as high as this girl did. After some pretense of being obliterated, Misaki joined him. He grinned at her, she was so out of it! It was safe to say that both of them were drunk, but Misaki was worse as it had been her first time drinking too much. Tora quickly opened his front camera and pulled Misaki.

They made a video in which Misaki was being crazy and Tora could only laugh. He tried to take the bottle from her hands but failed as Misaki caught a handful of his front hair.

"Oy! My hair!" Tora complained as Misaki took out the hair tie from her hair and tied his front hair using it.

"All better now! Tora-Chan! ~" Misaki kept laughing. Tora pretended to cry loudly when he couldn't get the hair tie out.

Misaki clicked a few photos of Tora when he wasn't looking and laughed. Tora was happy to see Misaki live freely. She was always so constrained when she was with him. He never saw her like this before. He smiled, maybe…just maybe, she would trust him more now. Maybe he could make up for the bad things he had done in his rebellious phase of teenage.

"Ne, Ne Tora-Chan! We should get drunk more often!" Misaki hollered, raising one arm and making a fist.

"Hai, Hai! Here's to drunk buddies" Tora put an arm around Misaki's shoulder and they both paraded in the apartment.

After an hour and two of loud bickering, they both slowed down. Misaki kept giggling as she looked at Tora's ponytail in adoration. Slurred words like "Tora-Chan Kawaii" still came out of her mouth. Tora face palmed. Misaki was in senseless mode.

They both sat in the small corridor which led to Misaki's bedroom. Apparently, it had been a long time since Misaki had sat on the wooden floor and ate. So they ordered pizza and kept it between the corridors. Misaki sat on one side of the wall while Tora took the second. They ate as Misaki still giggled.

Tora decided to put his plan into action. This was the right moment. When Misaki was busy eating. He gingerly said, "Misaki-Chan should slow down. Takumi is going to kill me if he finds out I got his girl drunk" he chuckled (bitterly!) as he looked up at the ceiling, a bottle of beer in his hand.

As he expected, Misaki went silent. She kept the pizza slice in a napkin and placed it next to the pizza. She pulled her legs up and folded her legs. She wrapped her hands around her knees and went quiet.

Tora was right, something _was_ wrong.

But before Tora could say something to change the topic. Misaki mumbled in a low, almost inaudible voice, "Why should he care? What am I to him?"  
Tora looked at her disbelief. _Maybe they were in the middle of a couple fight_. Still not satisfied with her answer, he decided to inquire more. Maybe he could get her to speak now that she was drunk.

"What do you mean?"

"You don't know anything, Tora" Misaki looked at him. She never looked so vulnerable before.

"Then enlighten me"

"He left me"

"Well, just because he left Japan, doesn't mean he left you" he said in a light tone in hopes of cheering the girl, but nothing of the sort happened.

"No, he _left_ -left me"

It was Tora's turn to be shocked. As far as he knew, Takumi was in love with Misaki since the very beginning. He had expected himself to be happy upon hearing the news, but he wasn't. _What happened?_ He placed the beer bottle down and looked at her as if she had grown three heads. _What all took place?!_

Misaki told him everything. She brought a brown envelope. It contained the magazine which Aoi had shown her.

"What if it's a fake?" Tora asked, in reply Misaki merely threw her flip phone towards him. He caught it easily and stared at the screen. The recordings were opened. He went silent as soon as he hit the play button.

To say that Igarashi Tora was shocked would be the understatement of the year. Sure he could understand that the magazine cover could be a hoax. It must have been a publicity stunt courtesy of The Walkers. But he still didn't understand. The last he had heard from his father. The Duke, Takumi's grandfather was sick and about to die. Gerald was having a terminal illness which was why Takumi had to leave for England to finally become from Takumi Usui to Takumi Walker.

But

Things didn't add up.

True that he couldn't care any less about Takumi, and his absence only made his way to Misa's heart simpler, but he felt unsettled. It didn't feel right.

Tora looked at Misaki, who was tried to control her tears. He felt bad for her. It was no secret that Misaki had given her heart to Usui. She trusted him more than anything. It must have been hard for her. Even if Takumi had to break up with Misaki because of his family, it had been six years now. Why didn't he try to come back to her? Was Misaki right? It still felt impossible for Takumi to leave her like that.

He didn't like seeing Misaki so sad. She had been so strong for the past six years. No wonder she didn't let anyone in easily—including him. It had taken him so long to even become friends with her. If it was some other normal girl, she would have been in love with him already.

Tora sighed. This was wrong. He couldn't see her like this. He pulled Misaki to his side and held her face in both of his hands.

"Look at me"

Misaki looked at him anxiously. It was hard to look at him in the eye. She felt so stupid for still crying over something that happened six years ago.

"I want you to know", he wiped her tear, "That you deserve the best Misaki. It's his loss. And there's no harm in crying. Sometimes, a good cry is what you need" He patted her head. "I also want you to know that I'm always here for you. Always. As a friend or more than that. Whatever you want" He looked straight into her eyes.

Misaki's face heated up. Did he just confess? He didn't confess to her, he's just being a good friend, pitying her. She felt so bad, burdening him with her sorrows. She could only nod, feeling drained of energy all of a sudden.

Tora pulled her into his embrace and rubbed her back soothingly. This girl, Ayuzawa Misaki, made him discover parts of him that he would never think he was capable of. But anyway, this was so unsettling. He had work to do. It was around two in the morning and that was too late to go home. He stayed put and waited for her to fall asleep. Allowing himself a moment of tomfoolery and foolishness, he cradled her in his arms and pushed her hair back.

As expected, Misaki fell asleep sometime later. He took her to her bedroom and planted a small peck on her forehead as he pulled the covers. He decided to get comfortable on the couch with sleep far-far away from his mind. There was a lot to be done.

 **A.N: So, Tora has found out about Misaki's breakup with Takumi. What will he do next? Will he hit on her and try to make her his own or will he be a good friend and help her heal or will he do something entirely unexpected?! The next chapter sits on my laptop and I await your answers. Tell me all about it Review section.**

 **READ_REVIEW_FAVORITE_FOLLOW**


	8. Chapter 8

**A.N: YAY WE REACHED 50 REVIEWS! Finally this story has picked up its pace. I'm glad you guys are liking it so far(I wish I could thank each one of you separately but I can't since most reviews are guest reviews and the Author's Note will become long). Let's see what happens next** ** _._**

 _"_ _You've left me with the memory, and the aftertaste"_

With a groan, Misaki woke up woozily. She deduced that it must've been somewhere around noon as the sun was too harsh even with the curtains on. The brightness of the room was too much for her to bear. Her head hurt. She covered her face with the blankets. Memories of last night came flooding back to her. It was totally crazy! Last night she might have felt really great when she was drunk but right now it was quite the opposite. Her head felt like it was going to burst into flames or something. Dejectedly, she sat up yawning. The day had to be started regardless of what transpired last night. But she froze in her spot as she remembered telling everything to Tora.

It must've been really weird for him.

But still, a sad smile came on her face, it felt good telling him. It felt good letting it out, telling someone. Anyone. She had so much bottled inside her that she often felt like she's going to explode any moment with the sheer intensity of it all. But that weight felt very less as of now. She was glad, and thankful to Tora.

But then,

 _"_ _I also want you to know that I'm always here for you. Always. As a friend or more than that. Whatever you want"_

She blushed as she remembered his confession. _What am I going to do?_ Sure, he was a great guy and all, she couldn't love him! Sure she liked him, but she knew for a fact that she could never ever replace _him_ with Tora! Everything was going down the hill. How was she going to face Tora on Monday?

Even if she tried to think that past is past, every time she would close her eyes, the only eyes she saw belonged to Takumi. The only face that came to her mind was of Takumi. The only smile, only kiss, only touch—belonged to Takumi. She mentally screamed at herself for remembering things she really shouldn't—if she really wanted to move on. She wanted to scream at herself, for holding on to something that will never be hers, _again_. She wanted to move on, from the pain, the longing, the loneliness. But—

"Damn it, Takumi" she said with shaking hands as she pushed her messy hair backwards. She sighed.

She didn't understand how people got over each other. Her friends would change boyfriends like clothes and she couldn't even get over her past ex. She then decided that she was going to focus on her present now. Life's too short. Mustn't Usui be doing the same? Not allowing herself another thought, she got up. She was going to stop being stupid right now.

 _No more tears_ _._

She decided to get a glass of water. Hangovers sucked. She got out of her bedroom and saw that there was no pizza box and tissues that were present there last night. "Why is it so hot today?" She walked into her living room and proceeded to take off her shirt. _Who is going to care if I walk around in my bra? It's my home_.

Her thoughts were soon thrown out of the window as she saw Tora sipping coffee in her kitchen with a large smirk on his face. That bastard. She paled looking at his chef; who was here again along with a maid who had cleaned their mess from last night.

Misaki quickly pulled her shirt down. Her face went red. Even the maid was blushing profusely. She thanked gods that the chef didn't see her else she would have been mortified.

"Strip tease?" Tora raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't know you were here!" Misaki wailed. She even forgot about how embarrassed she felt about thinking how she would face Tora.

"Well, it was too late for me to go home. So I lounged on the couch" He gave her a toothy grin.

"You could have used the guest room, you know" she sighed looking at the couch that didn't look like it would make a comfortable bed.

"Well, I was scared that one of your Monster-pets would be there and would eat me alive. If I remember correctly, you did mention something about being the demon prez" Tora sipped his coffee.

"Ugh. I'm never getting drunk again" Misaki rubbed her head. Tora handed her a glass of water and an aspirin. She looked at him with a grateful smile "Thanks"

"Well, now that you're up and alive, I better get going" Tora announced as he picked up with mobile phone from the dining table which currently housed a very yummy looking breakfast waiting for her.

"Work?" she asked.

"Charity event" he said as he picked up an apple on his way out.

"Wow, how uncharacteristic" she said thoughtfully—Tora didn't look like a philanthropist to her. Never.

"Don't look at me like that, get some rest" he said with a small smile—actual smile. Misaki looked away, feeling blood rushing to her cheeks. He waved and she shut the door behind him.

Sometime later, the chef left too, after making her some food. She thanked the maid who cleaned her mess, but she shrugged it off as nothing and they both went their merry way. It was strange and she was surely thankful. Having a CEO as a friend always had its advantages, right?

After she was left to her own devices, Misaki took a very long bath and enjoyed the food prepared by the chef. She binge watched the TV and laid down on her couch. Her hangover was more than better now, she didn't have to throw up. And she was more than thankful for that. And hence Misaki spent majority of the day on her couch, in front of the TV. She didn't have any pending work to do so she decided to get lazy. She watched random TV shows and nodded off to sleep in the afternoon.

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Crash!

Misaki opened her eyes as soon as she felt bile race up her throat. She took off the bed covers as fast as she could and ran towards the bathroom. The vomit came sooner than expected and she was trembling as she emptied everything her stomach housed in the loo. _This explains why I didn't throw up before, as expected, hangovers suck_ ; she washed her mouth with some water as sweat trickled down her neck.

Supporting her weight against the cool tiled bathroom wall, Misaki slid down and sat—huffing. Her breaths became short and her vision began to blur. And even though she wasn't a doctor, she knew that this was totally not a good sign. Misaki pressed her palms on her forehead, as the stinging headache came back. Before she had a chance to recuperate, another feeling of acid in her throat made her stand up and run to the wash basin immediately.

 _Drip-Tip._

 _Top._

 _Tip._

 _Top._

The sound of water droplets falling down from the faucet was the only echo in the bathroom except for her own ragged breathing as she supported herself against the wall. The adrenaline washed off and she was left energy less. Misaki walked along the wall, using it as a support as she went to the bedroom to fetch her iPhone.

She sat down as she unlocked the screen of her phone. Another rush of bile and adrenaline made her go haywire. She stumbled on her way towards the bathroom and crawled to the sink. Vomit was welcomed—for the third time now. Misaki turned on the water faucet and water came out—washing over the vomit contents. Her eyes widened as soon as the contents of the vomit were replaced by blood. Her vision started getting black and tears flowed out as blood trickled down from her mouth. Somehow, she managed to pick up her phone and tap on the recently dialed number before she passed out, uttering a "T-Tora" using her broken and fading voice.

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Tora Igarashi had been peacefully sipping his juice. He was currently at a fundraiser for orphanages. If it wasn't for the good work these fundraisers did, he'd never set foot in such events. The crowd nauseated him. Regardless, he went and was enjoying the warm summer breeze with his mock tail, he didn't feel like drinking wine—courtesy of the drinking done the night prior, until his phone rang. He smiled upon seeing Misaki's name flash on the screen. He had changed her contact image to a photograph he had taken of her when she was drunk. She was too cute for words, he grinned as he picked up the call.

"Hello?" He muttered nonchalantly, inwardly smiling.

"T…T—ora" Her voice was hoarse, she couldn't speak properly. All blood rushed to his head.

"Misaki? What happened? I'm coming there right now!" He cut the call after not hearing anything.

Everyone raised an eyebrow when they saw the CEO of Igarashi Corporation go hurriedly. Paparazzi trailed behind but was effectively stopped by his bodyguards. The media never left an opportunity to get a good headline, even at the cost of people's lives. But nobody got the chance to ask the young Igarashi any questions as he reached his car in a flash, security surrounding him completely. A few reporters sighed and gave up while a few dared to trail behind his car—stalking, at its finest.

Tora drove at full speed. His brain stopped cooperating with him now, his body moved on its own accord and he drove as if it was primal instinct. He left the car unlocked as soon as he reached the parking and ran inside. She didn't sound well, _at all_. He restricted his brain from making different scenarios in his mind—each worse than the other. And this is how he found her unconscious—blood dripping from her face, body slumped on the cold bathroom tiles, her forehead was wet with sweat and the blood trail from her mouth descended down her neck. She was pale. Tora freaked out and searched for her doctor's number from her phone. He called an ambulance, just in case, and cradled her in his arms. When his impatience got the best of him, he took her bridal style and carried her to his car.

Misaki was put on a stretcher and was rushed into the ICU. He explained everything to Dr. Ayame who rushed to Misaki's side immediately. He was told to wait in the lobby. A nurse came by sometime later as he paced the hallways.

"You were the one who brought Miss Ayuzawa?" the lady asked, she was getting on his nerves. Of course he brought her here, who else could she see in the empty hallway?

"Yes" he said impatiently, looking at the ICU room.

"I see" she said, writing something on her chart "Your name"

"For god's sake—"he ran a hand through his hair "Tora Igarashi"

"I see" the woman's tone was pissing him off now "An ambulance was called from Miss Ayuzawa's residence, why didn't you wait?"

"Because there wasn't enough time!" He yelled, angrily. The woman kept silent as she examined him with her eyes. She nodded once and walked away "Wait until the doctor calls"

"Did you expect me to leave otherwise?!" he yelled again, but no reply came back. He sighed as he sat down on the bench dejectedly.

Tora didn't know what to think anymore. Blood in vomit? That never happened during hangovers. Then it meant something was definitely wrong with her. Misaki was in it deeper than he thought. It was like she had no will to live! She behaved fine and it never felt like she had disregards for her life; but her physical condition said otherwise. She had slimmed down. He didn't know what to do now. He could only do one thing—wait. He rested his elbows in his thighs and kept his face in his hands as he waited for the Doctor to brief him.

"Are you with Miss Ayuzawa?" A nurse came to Tora. He nodded.

"Right this way" The addressed man followed closely behind.

The doctor sat in her cabin. She was a middle aged woman, possibly the same as Tora. She wrote some medicines and injections and sent the Nurse to get them. She acknowledged his presence sometime later.

"Please have a seat. Are you Miss Ayuzawa's Boyfri—" She was effectively cut off by Tora, "Friend. Yes, I'm her friend"

"Alright, the form here says that you found her in her apartment unconscious? Mr.—"

"Igarashi Tora"

"Oh, As in, Igarashi Corporation?"

"Yes."

"All right. So there was blood"

"Blood…coming from her mouth"

Dr. Ayame nodded, "I have given her some injections that will stabilize her. Seems like I need to have a talk with Miss Ayuzawa. It would be better if I ask the personal questions to her. She lives alone, right?"

"Yes. Her family resides in Hokkaido"

"Alright. Please wait for some time. She should wake up soon"

"Thank you Doctor"

"It's all part of the job" Dr. Ayame gave him a reassuring smile and left.

Tora stared at her for a long time. He stood up dumbly and left. There was nobody in the hallway except him. Tora shook his head and mumbled, "What am I going to do with you? Stupid girl"

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When the doctor announced that it was okay to visit Misaki's room, it was already past nine. Tora stood up warily and went inside. He was greeted by a very saddening sight. Misaki lay there limply on the bed, there were IVs inserted in her veins and she looked pale as fuck. The sight made him angry, very angry.

"She'll be up soon" a nurse told him as she left. He only nodded…

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Misaki woke up sometime later. She had been hoping that she didn't land in the hospital this time, and she did. She rubbed her eyes, everything was blurry. All she could see was a tall blur and blond hair. The person was facing opposite from her, probably reading some medical posters that were fixated on the walls.

Her throat hurt, she could not speak properly. With little strength she said something incoherent, her brain did not register it and she passed out again. The drugs in her system were making her woozy.

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Tora was anxiously waiting for her to wake up. He felt like he was the reason why Misaki landed up in hospital. He couldn't bear to look at her pale form so he turned away from her and decided to read random posters that were pasted on the walls. It was better than look at her covered in IVs. He heard her say "U..sui" and he immediately turned around. She passed out again and he called the nurse immediately. _That fool, she must've thought I'm Usui_ , Tora looked at her sleeping form as his thoughts shattered his heart.

Misaki woke up at night. She sat up using the nurse's help. She looked around to find Tora sitting impatiently and staring at her. His arms were crossed angrily and he looked tired.

"The doctor will see you soon" said the nurse.

"Morning" Tora glared at her.

"Sorry" Misaki shook her head with a low mumble.

The doctor came inside soon. "How're you feeling Misaki?" She inquired.

"F-fine" Misaki said.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions. I have your previous reports and your medical history too."

Tora started to leave but the doctor stopped him using her palm. She looked at Misaki again.

"Since Miss Ayuzawa is going to lie to me about a few things. I would like to request you to fill in "

Tora smirked, Misaki's doctor knew her so well. He nodded for the nth time today.

"So, I'm going to be blunt now. Answer truthfully"

Misaki nodded. She was as red as a cherry.

"How long have you been depressed, Misaki?"

Misaki was speechless. She wasn't depressed! _Am I?_

"Uh, I'm not depressed?" Misaki said, or rather asked herself.

"You are. I did some tests. I thought that your condition was the result of over-working, anxiety or stress. But the signs are clear. How long have you been depressed?"

"Six years?" Tora said.

The doctor gaped at him, she regained her composure afterwards. Misaki was in the hot seat again.

"Well, okay. I've been her doctor for three years but this is the first time I'm hearing it" Another glare was sent in Misaki's direction.

It was Misaki's turn to be astounded. What the fuck was going on? She wasn't depressed! _Six years?! Is Tora MAD?_ Sure she felt sad and cried a little, but never once in her life did she show any moments of weakness.

She was fine!

"I am fine!" Misaki wailed.

"Yes, that's exactly why your body is starting to give up on you"

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"What do you mean Doctor?" Tora looked at Dr. Ayame, who was currently pissed.

"Stop by my office in some time. I would like to have a brief talk with you . As for you Misaki, you need rest. Lots of rest. You need to spend time away from office. I would suggest you a visit from your parents."

What was even going on? Misaki was so confused.

"Now rest", Dr. Ayame left.

Misaki looked out of the window next to her bed. She didn't know what was going on. Tora gave her a small smile and left behind the doctor.

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There was a knock on the door, Dr. Ayame spoke "Come on in"

Tora went inside, he bluntly asked her, "So, what's wrong with her?"

"I'm gonna have to ask you to sit down" Dr. Ayame said with the same bluntness. That woman could easily rival his anger any day. What's with women annoying him today? Tora sighed and sat down.

"Now, Let me begin from the start, you do understand that perfect health is a combination of physical, psychological and emotional state?"

Tora nodded and listened patiently. He calmed down soon—there was no use yelling over something that couldn't be helped. He looked at Dr. Ayame as she explained medical jargon to him in simple terms.

"Miss Ayuzawa may be in the right physical state, but her emotional and mental distress is taxing on her health. She was hospitalized under my care a few months ago. The symptoms weren't visible that time but the blood vomit has set everything straight."

"Just say it directly" his patience was wearing thin.

"As I said before, Misaki's body is giving up on her. Her body organs are failing her. It's because of the depression. She can deny it all she wants but she needs serious medical attention. She has been depressed for a long time—six years, as you said, is a long time- and her mind is in denial. If she continues to be stubborn, she may face illness."

"Illness?" Tora looked at her strangely.

"Like heart disease, Liver failure, Brain hemorrhage, or worse, Cancer. This is what the signs are telling me. She's had the problem of short breaths before, which points to heart problem. Blood in vomit is a sign of Liver failure. The possibilities are endless. She needs to be happy. If she wants to stay alive, she needs to live life."

Tora was speechless. This day was just getting better and better.

"Her heart and liver have already started to show signs of being unwell. Their condition is worsening as we speak. The worst case scenario is, she passes away due to heart failure, or liver failure, or hemorrhage. If she gets more blood vomits, she's going to be fully hospitalized. She is in a delicate condition, we play one move wrong and we lose her. She needs care. I would suggest you call her parents and tell them to visit their daughter. It would help her be happy. We could give her all medicines in the world but when we are talking about depression, the best medicine is love"

"The best medicine is…love" Tora could only repeat the words dumbly.

"Yes, The more she recovers, better her body gets. Her blood count is low as well. I've written some medicines but she needs to experience life."

Dr. Ayame continued "She will be discharged by tomorrow. Here are some papers you need to sign."

"Thanks Doc, I know just what to do" with that, Tora left her office after signing the papers.

"You've screwed up big time" Tora declared as he entered Misaki's room.

"What did she say?" Misaki asked anxiously.

"Tell you about it later. I've called your parents, they're visiting Tuesday. You get discharged tomorrow"

Misaki freaked out, she almost shouted, if only her throat permitted her, "What?! You told them!?"

"No, I'm not stupid. I only called as a friend and told your mother that her daughter misses her family. Besides, you should be the one to tell them when you feel like, and right now we don't even know what disease you have. But the cause is your denial" Tora gave her a pierced glare.

"I-I don't know what to say. I'm not denying anything, I felt just fine! Believe me, I am not depressed, Tora! I don't think about things like suicide and stuff! How can you called me depressed because of a stupid breakup six years ago? Pfft, I'm over that. I'm over him!" Misaki argued, mostly to herself in the end.

There was silence. She knew Tora felt bad about her. He cared for her deeply, she didn't like seeing him so stressed. "Tora, you should get some rest. We have office tomorrow" Misaki continued, trying to change the subject.

"No, I have office tomorrow. You're on leave for two weeks. Boss' orders" Tora smirked tiredly. He crossed his arms defiantly as if challenging her to argue back.

Misaki paled even more, she didn't know how she was supposed to spend two weeks at home. "Tora I'm going to die of boredom. What will I do at home!?"

"You enjoy your vacation kiddo. Not everyone is as lucky to get such a lenient boss. Besides, I'll be here if you need anything" he grinned, causing Misaki to form out a smile of her own.

"No! You're going home right now. Sleep or rest or something" Misaki finally noticed his condition. He was wearing a tux, his hair were messed up and his tie hung loosely. She had caused him so much problems. She briefly wondered what she would have done if he wasn't there. She would probably be lying unconscious on her floor.

"Ne, Tora-Chan" her voice was small. Grateful.

"What is it, silly?" Tora grinned.

"Sorry for being such a burden"

"Bullshit. Now rest, else I won't leave"

"Thank you" Misaki said, as she closed her eyes. And for the last time today, Tora nodded.

 **A.N: Wow, a lot has happened in this chapter, Misaki really is in deep shit. I wonder, what's wrong with her?**

 **About the medical stuff written here, I know its briefly vague but the doctor still hasn't discovered what illness Misaki actually has. Some diseases don't get detected easily until they are in late stages. Depression is really a bad thing though, it can fuck up a totally normal and healthy person. Tora's kind of sweet and caring in this chapter, isn't he? How uncharacteristic of his high school self xD**

 **Another thing:**

 **Tell me what I should do next—**

 **1.** **Update Ups and Downs (Yes, I decided to continue it) Sorry, no summary for its chapter yet, since I haven't written it.**

 **2.** **Post a new story (It's a short story, like toothache) here's a summary of the first chapter:**

 _"_ _England Diaries" Chapter1:_ _He ran a hand through his hair and strolled out of the car like a model. The flowers in the gardens bloomed, butterflies roamed around, the sunflowers faced him, a few women died out of awe and appreciation, and some whistled suggestively._

 **3.** **Post a new story (It will be a long story, like A Promise Of Forever and Ups and Downs) here's a summary of the first chapter:**

 _"_ _My Fucked Up Heart" Chapter 1:_ _Either my ex-boyfriends were complete douches or he's a sex-god, I think dryly as I look at myself in the rearview mirror. My face is complete red—lipstick smeared. My clothes are completely out of place, my hair looks like I just got fucked. Don't even get me started on the hickey sitting proudly on my neck. My body is on fire, and I am completely smitten by Takumi Walker._

 ** _I will do any one of the three within the next 72 hours, depending upon your reviews. Also, tell me what you thought of this chapter! Sorry for the long AN. I LOVE YOU ALL._**

 **READ REVIEW FOLLOW FAVORITE**


	9. Chapter 9

**Why hello there everyone! I'm finally back, for those who waited—I'm deeply sorry, but worry not~ the wait is finally over (: Special thanks to everyone who supported me. You guys are the reason why I'm here. I have uploaded the prologue of the gift fic I had promised, titled "My Fucked Up Heart"…It is dedicated to each and every one of you.**

 **I love the positive response I got for the previous chapter. I hope you guys like this update. I will be waiting for your response, Guys.**

 **Warning: The beginning of this chapter can be considered as mature content with dark themes and mentions of suicide, cutting, and depression. Please skip it if you're not old enough. Readers' discretion strongly advised.**

 **#Spoiler_Corner: "So tell me, how long has it been since you've craved for his presence? To bask in the ambiance of his beautiful existence? Lusted for his elegance and grace? How long have you waited for a glimpse, a sneak peak of his enigmatic self? He is the epitome of lust and love combined together, emerald eyes that make your knees weak. And he is right here (: The wait is over. Brace yourselves…for, he is not far away."**

 _Sometimes, all you have to do is to let yourself drown in loneliness, to let everything go and surrender to grief, And let it work its way through your soul. To let it shatter every cell, every fiber of your being. Only to rebuild it—stronger than before and that, My friend, is how you shall truly heal (MissKirei)_

 **Tokyo National University, Three Years Ago.**

 **POV- MISAKI AYUZAWA**

"Have you heard? A girl in first year tried to suicide!"

"What are you saying?"

" _shhh_! Talk slowly! I don't know much about it, but rumors said she did—in her hostel room! But her roommate saw and told the authorities! It was so freaky, all of us got searched after that incident."

I looked up at a bunch of girls standing in a small circle a few feet away from my seat. The task that previously occupied me, was long forgotten as I listened to the gossip. I turned my notebook over and closed it by placing my wrists over them.

"Yeah. I don't understand, why would someone do that?"

"I heard she cut her wrists, the marks are still there!"

I looked at my own wrists as the talk commenced. Cut her wrists? I scoff, cutting your wrists is just a shabby display of weakness. If she really wanted to die, a small cut just above the nerve would suffice, a foot long cut on the skin is useless.

"But why would she do that?" I looked back in the direction of the bunch of girls as they chatted obliviously. Shouldn't they keep their voice down?

"Maybe all the strings inside her broke" These words made me freeze in my spot.

 _Maybe the strings inside her broke…_

 _So she tried to cut the ones that bound her to the world…_

I mentally laugh, at least its something I'm familiar with. I think as I look at my hands again, maybe that girl isn't weak at all… Maybe she's just sick and tired of the pain, and the misery. Maybe she's sick of the agony. Maybe I can understand what she's going through. Maybe the strings inside her broke, _maybe the strings were what all that mattered to her._

Yes of course, I do understand what she's going through. Sometimes, the pain becomes too unbearable, even for me. Sometimes it's hard to breathe. Sometimes it's hard to survive. Sometimes breathing feels like too much of an errand. Sometimes…letting go and drowning…is just the answer.

I don't know about the answer. It's something I'm searching for myself too… it's something that's not easy to find. And for me, it's something which is unattainable.

After three years, I've come to understand that there's no use denying the pain…you can only embrace it. The more I've tried to escape this strange numb feeling. The more it hurts. Why can't this torture be over? Why am I not capable of pretending nothing is wrong and going along with my life? Why can't I?

I take out a small folded piece of paper from my jeans' pocket. Its something I always keep with myself. The edges are torn, and my writing has blurred, but these words somehow make me feel relieved. I open the note and begin to read it like I always do. Because they rebuild my hope...

 _Sometimes, all you have to do is to let yourself drown in loneliness,_

 _To let everything go and surrender to grief,_

 _And let it work its way through your soul._

 _To let it shatter every cell, every fiber of your being._

 _Only to rebuild it—stronger than before_

 _And that, my friend, is how you shall truly heal._

I close my eyes and put my head down. I cover my face from this world and shut myself. Yes, sometimes, the pain becomes too unbearable, even for me. Sometimes it's hard to breathe. Sometimes it's hard to survive. Sometimes breathing feels like too much of an errand. But then, I can't just give up on myself. I can't just end my life and get it over with. I can't just give in.

I can't just cut that one nerve that'll shut me out.

 _I can't just cut these strings…even if they strangle me._

 **Present Day,**

The door of the car opened to reveal a young man step out, his blond hair were pushed back—his lips set into a thin line. He unbuttoned his grey jacket revealing his crisp matching shirt as he walked towards the main doors of Igarashi Corporation. A uniform clad male opened the transparent thick glass doors and bowed. Bodyguards trailed behind as the main proceeded to walk inside the huge building, ignoring every greeting he got.

The receptionists stood up in respect as the said main entered the building. They all bowed and wished him a good day in unison, but it was all ignored. _Good day be damned_. He went straight to the private elevators to get to the CEO's office and pressed the top buttons. The rest journey was similar, he walked straight into the office ignoring everything.

Tora Igarashi was _furious_.

"Sir" his bodyguard spoke timidly, looking at his boss' angry demeanor.

"Get lost" he snarled. The people around him bowed and got out of his office silently.

Tora paced the office floor like a madman with his hands in his hair. He was so close to fucking losing his mind. He was not going to sit back and watch the girl he loved die like that! In a fit of rage his hands went straight to his desk as he swiped everything off the surface. The sound of everything falling down on the floor including a laptop alerted Tora's secretary, who came rushing in with a freaked out look on her face.

"Um, Sir?"

She approached him cautiously. Tora Igarashi never lost his cool, he made people lose their minds. She looked at him worriedly, who was glaring at the transparent windows that showed the outside view of Tokyo.

"I want everything you can dig on Takumi Walker by noon in my office" he spoke in a low threatening tone that made the hair on her hands stand up.

"Of c-course!" she stuttered and looked at him with her hands at her back.

"Now get out"

Tora looked at the phone in his hands. There was a text message from Misaki. As soon as her contact image came flashing on to the screen, he stared at it blankly. But this did little to calm him, because when the image of Ayuzawa Misaki in his mind was replaced by a broken girl lying in a hospital covered in IVs, he lost it. The phone was thrown on the glass window in another fit of rage.

"I'm going to destroy you Takumi Walker!" he snarled as the phone fell down on the floor and the bulletproof glass window sported a new formed crack in the center.

Tora wasn't going to rest until he found him. He was going to find him, and make him pay.

 _Where the fuck are you hiding, bastard?_

 **Later that day,**

Misaki was discharged somewhere around evening. Tora, as expected, was already in the Doctor's office before she had even started to get ready. Misaki signed the discharge papers and did the payments using her credit card. Tora drove Misaki home. There was silence.

Misaki noted that Tora was acting really strange. Apart from the silence, he would occasionally keep asking her if she was feeling any pain. He had practically pushed the front seat backwards so that she could lie down. Misaki complained that she was tired of lying down already, so he allowed her to sit. Tora briefed her about his talk with the Doctor yesterday and Misaki kept silent, not knowing what to say.

Their short journey to Misaki's apartment was soundless. Misaki looked out of the window and Tora kept glancing at her again and again. He frowned, she had slimmed down. If this continued, she was going to become invisible!

When they reached, Tora quickly got out first and opened the door for her. Misaki rolled her eyes. She had hands, damn it! She was tired of being taken care of!

"Want me to carry you?" Tora grinned, making an attempt of warming up the environment for her.

Misaki rolled her eyes again, "No thanks. I have legs and I like using them"

"You just missed a golden chance of being carried by Igarashi Tora, Not many people are that lucky" Tora boasted, again, in hopes of getting a smile back in return.

To this, Misaki replied by smacking his head playfully. Both were back to their usual bickering. The atmosphere lightened up and both of them knew they were thankful.

"Tora" Misaki said with a stern tone, Tora was in the kitchen, pouring her a glass of juice.

"I am _fiinnee_ " She emphasized her words and rubbed her temples "See? I'm alive. Stop fussing" She reprimanded him. Tora walked inside the living room and placed the glass of juice on the table angrily. Thankfully, the table didn't crack. He walked towards her and held both of her shoulders and glared at her.

"What are you doing, Tora?" Misaki asked, not feeling energized enough to hit him.

"You are _not_ fine, Misaki" He glared at her "And you will rest."

"But I'm okay. That's why the doctor discharged me!" she argued.

"YOU AREN'T FINE, MISAKI!" Tora yelled, and it stunned Misaki. "For all we know, you might be dying the next second!" She looked at him speechlessly with wide eyes. He pushed her back, making her lie down on the couch, she landed with a loud thud. Her eyes were wide now, and a part of her was scared. _Scared that he'll do what he couldn't do back in high school._

" _Please_ " he said in a broken voice as he kneeled down to her level, and cupped her cheek "Please, rest" this alarmed her even more, she didn't know this new concerned Tora Igarashi that well. Misaki placed her palm on top of his palm where it touched her cheek. She was so freaked out when she heard the word "Please" coming out of the most arrogant bastard she has ever known.

"How unlike you, Tora" she said in a soft voice.

"Well, what can I say?" He said with a small smile playing on his lips, he grabbed his tie and loosened it "I'm really worried" he confessed.

"Don't be" was all Misaki could say, in her weakened state.

"Then rest, and recover" he said with a smile as he gave her the glass of juice and her medicines.

"I will" She nodded and sat up as she promised him.

"I hope so"

They had a simple dinner. Misaki came home to a filled fridge with healthy choice meals, and she knew it had something to do with Tora and his paranoia. They ate in silence and exchanged small smiles. With a kiss on the cheek, Tora left leaving a stunned Misaki to her own devices.

After dinner and medicines, she felt stable. She looked around, her apartment looked like a mess to her since she didn't get much time to clean. On top of that, her family was visiting soon. She remembered trying to pacify her mother, telling her that she was fine and they were worrying for nothing. Regardless, the Ayuzawas were paying her a visit and she was more than happy. She decided to give her house a quick cleaning session and hide away anything that would make her appear as not normal, since she didn't want them to worry.

Misaki tucked away her medicines and prescriptions somewhere inside her closet. They were scattered all around the house and she couldn't just leave them for her parents to see. With a sigh, she picked up a pile of unwashed clothes and put them in the washing machine. She had cleaned the kitchen, bathroom, the guest room and her own bedroom. Now all she had to do was bathe and rest.

And then find something to distract herself from the fact that her health was exponentially going down.

Yeah, she had fun.

 **On Tuesday**

"So what's up lately?" Misaki's voice came through the phone and Tora smiled. He didn't have to worry about her as long as he knew she was home, resting.

"The usual" he said as he kept the documents in his hand down and laid down on the recliner. He sighed looking out of the windows. It was a beautiful day.

"What does usual include? I'm bored Tora!" she complained and grumbled, Tora chuckled "I'm glad"

"You're glad that I'm bored?!"

"I'm glad you're resting and hopefully recovering"

"It's not like I'm dying or something" She sighed again, Tora's smile vanished for a moment there, he went silent.

"Tora?"

"Igarashi, what's wrong? Hello? Can you hear me? Maybe I'm getting bad reception…"

"We can't say for sure until next week" he said as he got up from his chair and went towards the balcony.

"And you just had to remind me that I have my tests next week. Thank you so much, Tora" Misaki grumbled sarcastically. Tora chuckled bitterly, pulling out a lighter and a cigarette. He lighted it up, "You're always welcome, Misaki"

"I'm really nervous you know"

Misa's small voice made his heart constrict in his chest painfully. He exhaled the smoke he was holding, the nicotine worked its way through his body. It was something he'd been doing to de-stress lately. "You're going to be fine, Misa" he assured her, and reassured himself.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Looking at the clouds, I wish I was looking at you though" He confessed, a bit too calmly. His brain had a tongue of his own. He regretted saying that, though. He didn't want her to be uncomfortable just because he didn't have a hold on his own feelings.

After a moment of silence from her part, Misaki spoke, and he could sense the smile in her voice "Great, I'll order Chinese take-outs, Bring a movie"

Tora smiled, oh how hopelessly he was in love with her.

"Is horror genre good for you?"

"Well…y-yeah! I-It's not like I'd be scared or anything!"

He laughed and flicked the cigarette away, the cigarette landed on the floor, still burning.

"Sure thing."

Misaki woke up to the sound of her alarm. She had slept early after Tora left. She rubbed her eyes and opened the curtains. She was going to see her family after a long time. She smiled, her apartment was going to get crazy for a few days. At least it won't be quiet and lonesome.

Misaki got ready after breakfast. She wore a simple slim fit pair of jeans and a sweat shirt. She tied up her long black hair into a ponytail, she fixed her face to look better, she didn't want her parents to be worried after all… She wasn't telling anything to her parents for now, it may be a false alarm. She grabbed her car keys and headed out.

Misaki waited impatiently and waited for her parents in the airport terminal. Maybe she should have brought a sign or something. _Too embarrassing_ , Misaki thought. She was grateful to Tora in so many ways. For the time her family was here, she could enjoy their presence and stop worrying about anything and everything. She was glad that she had mentally decided to not tell her parents anything about her medical condition. What was she supposed to tell them anyway? _Hey mom, I might be dying?_

Misaki was snapped out of her pessimism when a pair of arms swept her off her feet and swirled her around. Misaki was caught off guard and was going to punch the person who had the nerve of picking her up like a five year old, but she only laughed when she saw that it was her dad along with her mother and sister.

"Dad! It's embarrassing!" Misaki said in between giggles as her father didn't stop swinging her round and round.

"Hahah, you should have seen the look on your face, my princess" Sakuya Ayuzawa finally set his daughter down. Suzuna gave her sister a quick hug and Minako smiled.

"I missed you guys so much" Misaki breathed. She hadn't seen them for so long!

"Now, Now, Let's get going. We can rendezvous on the way" Suzuna said.

Misaki laughed and patted her head, "You're just too cute"

The Ayuzawa family reached Misaki's apartment somewhere around noon. Misaki opened the other two empty bedrooms for Suzuna and her parents. Suzuna soon disappeared into her designated room and her mom took the apron as soon as she got in. Misaki told her to rest and that they could go out for lunch later. Minako only replied that she knew how much real food Misaki ate, and was going to make sure she eats well till Minako was staying.

Misaki sat down next to her dad and they chatted about random things. The restaurant was really popular and they were recently promoted to four stars. Misaki congratulated her dad on "being awesome"

"It's strange, my father owns a famous star restaurant and I can't even boil an egg" Misaki pouted.

To this, her father replied after pulling her into an embrace, "I can always teach my princess. But, we'll have to get lots of fire extinguishers first"

"Too cheesy dad" Misaki replied and everyone laughed.

The silence and loneliness in the Ayuzawa apartment was soon replaced by bickering and laughter. Misaki had to take her medicines without being discovered. Regardless, Misaki was grateful to be eating her mom's cooked meals. And sometimes, her dad's too. He was too good for words!

One day, Sakuya was cooking inside the kitchen and Minako was out to shop for groceries, "You need more healthy choice meals Misa", she chided her.

Misaki sat down next to Suzuna who was currently looking at her diary. She was busy marking dates of various sales and discounts. _Some things never change_.

"So" Misaki said.

"Hai" Suzuna was still looking into her diary.

"How is Shintani-kun?" Misaki said as she bit back a giggle.

Suzuna stilled at the mention of his name. Suzuna and Shintani were going out for almost a year now. She had learnt about it from her mother one day. Suzuna was too sneaky and Shintani must have been too embarrassed to tell her.

"Um, You-kun is fine Nee-chan. By the way, I have a few discount coupons of some boutiques and parlors that have their main branch in Tokyo, you should use them when you need" Suzuna handed her a bunch of coupons and effectively changed the subject.

"Sure, thanks" Misaki put them in her drawer.

"Nee-Chan" Suzuna said.

"Hai?" Misaki looked at her.

"When are you going to get a boyfriend? I want a brother-in-law soon" Suzuna said with a plain face devoid of any emotion. The blush on her face almost vanished!

Misaki stuttered, she didn't know what to say. Boyfriend huh? Marriage? She hadn't even thought that far and with her medical health, she didn't know if she was ever going to live till the day she saw herself getting married.

She didn't even like anyone right now. The thought of Tora Igarashi crossed her mind. She may have a small crush on him but she didn't love him?! And she wasn't even sure if it was simple friendship or more _I can't love him._ Her thoughts were replaced by guilt. Was she leading him on? She didn't know. He was so good to her. He cared for her so much and all she did was lead him on. She didn't want to break his heart. She was gonna die on him anyway.

Misaki felt a pang of hurt in her chest. What was she supposed to do? She already sucked in the love department. Takumi left a huge hole in her heart which was never going to be filled. Misaki decided, she would try to move on. She knew she would never be able to love him like she loved Takumi, but trying wouldn't hurt, would it?

Suzuna looked at her sister who had gone from normal to red and from red to pale in a matter of seconds. She waved her hand in front of her face, "Oy! Nee-Chan? Are you even on this planet anymore?"

Misaki snapped out of it. "Sorry" She stuck her tongue out. She was spacing out so much lately!

Dinner was served and everyone ate peacefully except Misaki. She was calm and collected on the outside but inside her mind was a war. _Feelings aren't for me_ , Misaki pouted while eating a dumpling.

"What's the matter, darling?" Minako looked at her daughter worriedly.

"Is the food not good?" It was her dad's turn to get melodramatic.

Before Misaki could reply, her iPhone buzzed. _I got saved._

She looked at her phone, it was Tora. She had put on a photograph of Tora when she had made a ponytail out of his front hair. He looked hilarious.

"I've to get this" Misaki excused herself.

"Hey" Tora said.

"Hi" Misaki rubbed her hair unconsciously.

"You fine?" he said.

"Yup" She couldn't help but feel that everyone was being over-worrisome for her. She felt like screaming the words "I'm fine" on top of a mountain.

"Good"

"That's all you called me for?!" Misaki shrieked.

Tora laughed, "Calm your shit down, lady. I just missed your voice" He said cheekily.

Misaki was mortified. _AWKWARD_ , her inner shrieked. "Stupid. Don't you have loads of work to do?"

"A little"

"Good. I'll be sure to dump loads of paperwork on your desk when I come back" Misaki grinned.

"And that's not happening for a very long. So I have many days to live my life to the fullest" Tora cut in.

"Days go by like the wind" Misaki said.

"Alright. Duty calls. Talk to you later."

"Night" Misaki cut the call and got back to the dining table.

"So who was it?" Suzuna snatched her phone and saw Tora's contact image.

"I think its Nee-Chan's boyfriend. They seem really close." All eyes were now on Misaki. Her father raised an eyebrow. "Don't get married without telling us! I want to walk my princess down the aisle on her special day" Her father said as he pouted. Her mom merely laughed.

Misaki snatched her phone and said, "Just a friend who happens to be my boss"

"But I don't find employees having such photographs of their Boss as their contact image" Suzuna smirked.

"Why you! I said he's a friend!" Misaki argued and everyone laughed.

"Hai-Hai" Minako and Suzuna sang and Sakuya looked away. He wasn't comfortable with his daughter being with men that weren't him! Misaki smiled awkwardly as she finished her soup.

Minako looked at Misaki from the corner of her sight. She knew that smile was fake. The past still affected her. She had seen how distant her daughter had become after her breakup. She didn't know the main reason behind the breakup, but she knew that Usui-kun wouldn't leave her without a reason. She sighed, when Usui-kun had come in her daughter's life, she became more girly and laughed more. She began trusting men, she began to live life. And when they had started dating, it was like Minako's prayers were answered. Her hardworking daughter was finally happy in the arms of a man. She was even ready to accept Usui-kun as her son-in-law in the future…but maybe fate had some other plans for them. After all, love is rare. And only the rarest of rare people get a chance to stay in love with their first-love. It is surely special. She looked at her own first-love, Sakuya. Even though they had gone through a lot, Sakuya had still come back to her. But, maybe her daughter wasn't as lucky as herself….

He stood in front of the floor to ceiling glass window overlooking the entire town as usual. His palms traced the reflection of the clouds in the sky. He hand a hand through his blond hair in attempts to push them back. He had loosened his tie and unbuttoned the white blazer he wore over a black crisp shirt. He stared outside blankly, having a feeling that today is going to be different.

Sadly, as always, his exploration was shortly interrupted by a phone call. He went to his table where his answering machine was beeping. He picked up the phone.

"Hello?" he said dispassionately, in fluent English.

"Sir, there is a call for you from Japan. It's the CEO of Igarashi Corporation .What shall I say?" His secretary spoke.

"Put him on for me" His interest spiked up on mention of the Igarashi name, how interesting.

"Alright. Have a good day, sir" The phone call went on hold and the said man waited patiently.

The phone call was connected again, and he waited for the person to speak up.

"You pathetic bastard!" came the arrogant voice of Igarashi Tora, His voice lacked any formalities or politeness. He was right, today _was_ going to be different.

Takumi Walker smirked. _This is going to be fascinating…_

 **You guys should really wait for the next chapter, it is going to shock you.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: The world is not a wish granting factory.**

 **Since this is the 10** **th** **chapter, it had to be something out of the ordinary, didn't it? I would keep my tissues close by if I were you.**

 _In another life, I would be your girl. We'll keep all of our promises—be us against the world._

 _In another life, I would make you stay, so I don't have to say you were the one that got away. (Katy Perry "The one that got away")._

Two weeks went by smoothly. Misaki was grateful to have a change of routine and enjoyed her parents' company. They went out for sightseeing every once in a while and enjoyed their father's cooking at home. Today was their flight back to Hokkaido. Misaki's mom had filled her kitchen with healthy choice meals and vegetables. Her father had prepared lots of food and put it in the refrigerator. As for Suzuna, she had stuffed her drawers with discount coupons. Misaki sighed, her family was one whole piece of crazy cake!

It was an early Monday morning. She was supposed to get back to work today. Misaki got ready and wore a purple business suit with straight trousers. She pulled her hair up in a bun and hurried into the living room. Everyone was ready to head to the airport. Misaki came out with a cardboard box from her closet.

She opened it. She had bought some things for her family some months ago but she didn't courier it. She had decided to go to Hokkaido herself but couldn't; due to the recent turn of events. In it was a sundress for Suzuna, some hair accessories for her mother and a wrist watch for her dad. She looked at them and felt a twinge of sadness wash over her. The past two weeks had been so good, she didn't want them to go!

The journey to the airport was silent. Her dad drove while she sat in the back seat with her sister. They reached in time for the flight and the last call for the departure had been made. It was bittersweet, more on Misaki's part because she didn't know if she was ever going to see them again. She promised her Mom that she'd be home for Christmas but didn't know if she was going to be able to keep it. Somehow, broken promises reminded her of Takumi.

Hugs were exchanged. Suzuna remained stoic while her dad almost cried. _How uncharacteristic, Dad!_ Misa sighed as they left. She kept her hand at her chest, in order to calm her fast beating heart. The last thing she wanted for to happen was breaking down in front of her family. She was supposed to be their strength, not their weakness. She waved them all off and headed straight to her office. _I hate goodbyes,_ Misaki mumbled to herself.

Misaki reached office in time. She muttered a few greetings to her colleagues and went straight to her office. She found Miss Akira sitting inside her office, apparently, she was made to fill in till the time she was on leave.

"Good Morning" Miss Akira wished her.

"Good Morning to you too, I'm sorry to put you through so much trouble, Akira-san" Misaki bowed.

"No, No, It's all fine. I understand" She smiled.

"Hai. Thank you for your hard work Akira-san. I can take it from here" Misaki politely said.

"All right. You can take it from here" Miss Akira repeated and went to her office after handing over some documents.

The days passed away smoothly, Misaki got reacquainted to her office. Her two week vacation sure was fun but there was nothing more soothing to Misaki's nerves than an office environment and some dirty business politics.

Misaki was grateful to Miss Akira. Thanks to her, she only had little to catch up on, something she could accomplish in three to four days. She was busy with her work. It was refreshing to her.

Misaki was disturbed by a Skype call. It was her "boss". She accepted the call. Tora grinned.

"Wow I'm still not over the fact that you're back to office eh? You just couldn't wait to get back here didn't you?" Tora smirked, he was clearly happy to see her.

"Well yeah. By now you should know that I'm not the kind of person who lays in their bed all day" Misaki grinned back.

"Okay-Okay, Workaholic. By the way, need to talk with ya. Long drive in thirty minutes?" Tora said while playing with his pen.

"Do you ever work?" Misaki rolled her eyes as she pointed to him playing around with his pen.

"Only all the time" Tora sighed.

"Fine. I'll meet you in the parking lot…"

"Okay"

Misaki waved her hand playfully and ended the video call, she got back to work.

Misaki was again swamped by work and she lost track of time as she reviewed one last document. It was about some new business partner. Apparently there was some Europe based company that was going to open a branch in Japan. The company's name or details were not mentioned. Misaki thoroughly read the report. Her phone buzzed. It was a text from Tora.

Tora~ _I'm waiting woman!_

 _I totally forgot!_ Misaki shut down her laptop and shoved her things inside the drawer. She grabbed her things and headed downstairs.

She went down only to find a much surrounded Tora Igarashi. Sometimes she forgot that he was a frigging millionaire and the CEO of such a big company. She waved him off and he excused himself. He told his bodyguards to leave as he was going with a friend.

"Hey" Misaki said.

"Your car. Keys." Tora said exasperatedly and ran a hand through his hair. He looked pissed.

Misaki took out her keys and gave it to him. He opened the passenger's seat for her and got in. The engine roared to life and they drove off.

"You look like shit" Misaki smirked.

"Why thanks" He replied teasingly.

"So, what did you wanna talk about?" Misaki inquired.

"I need something in my system first" Tora said as he looked out for drive by restaurants. He found one soon later.

They bought burgers and French fries. Tora also got two cans of juice. He drove far away on the outskirts of town and stopped near a cliff. The road was empty and the cliff overlooked the entire town. Misaki had shown the place to Tora once. She told him how she used to come here to cool her mind. He parked the car nearby and they sat on the trunk of the car. Misaki had taken off her sandals and enjoyed the feel of grass.

"Calmed down yet?" Misaki looked at him.

Tora magically took out a bottle of wine and opened it. She didn't remember him buying it. He drank straight from the bottle and looked at her after drinking some.

"Yup. All good" He replied.

"Are you okay?" Misaki asked. He was never this stressed.

"Are _you_ okay?" He repeated in a worrisome tone, Misaki looked at the sky which was twinkling with stars.

"I'm okay"

"Yeah, that's good" He sighed "So, we have a new business partner coming this week."

"Um, Tora, I do have something to tell you too" Her small voice interrupted Tora's tired one and sensing the seriousness in her voice, he became silent.

"What is it?"

Misaki looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. After a small pause, she smiled "It's not much important. I want you to go first"

"Okay, well, we just scored with a big corporation, got a new business partner coming this week. So I guess I'll be busier…But I still want to accompany you to the hospital tomorrow when you get your tests done"

"Oh, I read something similar in one of the reports" Misaki ignored the last part, thinking back to the document she last reviewed.

"Yeah. It's going to be profitable on our part. It's a huge corporation which is based in UK. One of the biggest organizations in all of Europe and Britain. By the way, be ready by nine tomorrow morning, I'll pick you up."

"Oh" Misaki replied.

"Aa. There is a huge event in honor of the CEO of that Corporation. It was dad's idea. A themed Masquerade Ball dance or something. I didn't quite catch it, I don't even know if it's a man or a woman" Tora ran a hand through his hair and took out a pack of cigarettes, but didn't take out any.

"This person seems like a big deal" Misaki said as she took out a cigarette and put in between her lips.

"Yeah. Dad's been eating my head off. I had my designer plan the entire thing. I just got informed about it. Wait, since when do you smoke?" he eyed her strangely as if the sun just set in the east. Misaki laughed.

"No, well…It's a metaphor"

"Metaphor?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I read it in a book…you put the thing that can kill you right between your teeth, but don't give it the power to kill you, hence not lighting it," She took the lighter from his hands and tossed it in the bushes. "So when is the dance?"

"Nice metaphor that, it's Friday night. It's a couple's entry only and I don't have a date" Tora looked at her with a smirk.

"D-Don't look at me like that! I don't even know how to dance anyway, and who would stop you from entering in your own event?" she took out the cigarette from her lips and placed it back in the pack. "I have to tell you something Tora" She said as she stood up from the trunk of the car where she had been sitting. She got up and gave him a small smile which raised all alarms in Tora's mind. What did she have to tell him?

"Don't go all weird on me. I'm listening" he said, and sat straighter, there was just something about her smile…

"Well you do know how my tests were scheduled to be tomorrow?"

"Yes I do. That's why I had my entire day scheduled" he muttered "What about it? Are you nervous or something?"

"It's not that"

"Then what is it?"

"I got the tests pre-scheduled"

"You what? When?" Tora jumped off the trunk and stood right in front of her, he held her by the shoulders and looked at her eyes, and Misaki looked away, not meeting his gaze.

"I got them done a few days ago, the results came today"

"What?" Tora shifted back, in shock, "Why didn't you tell me? Misaki?"

To that, she didn't answer, instead, she just sat down on the grass and laid down facing the infinite sky that shone.

Tora sat down, with his hands in his head, "Forget that. What did the results say?"

He followed her line of sight and found himself staring at the stars too, he admitted, the view was great. But that didn't succeed in distracting him, his palms were already sweaty and his heart hammered in his chest.

"You know" she trailed off, talking about that day "I was very nervous going alone, but I guess it was something that I had to do alone, like always. I said to myself that it was just another day and I would come through like I always do. Alone. And I admit that it was a bit scary when they plunged so many needles in my veins, in my head, and in my heart. I had an MRI after that which requires to be as dead as a rock but I couldn't stay still, with my heart feeling like it was going to explode. After that, I had a few more scans whose names I don't even remember but they were pretty much similar, each one exposing my body to some kind of radiation to find if the organ is affected" She smiled after that, and faced him, by then Tora was lying next to her, not caring about his expensive clothes, his eyes were fixated on her and her only, but her smile again shattered him in an unexplainable way.

"But then there's one scan I remember really well, they said my entire body will be tested and the affected part will glow black since they had used some kind of red colored radiation on me" she chuckled again "Guess what happened?"

"What?"

"My heart just lit up like the Christmas lights" she laughed, hot tears falling down relentlessly.

"What do you mean? I don't get it" he sat up and looked at her, his eyes were widened like anything, causing Misaki to laugh as tears fell down.

"They found a tumor just next to my heart…" she placed her fingers on top of her chest right where here heart was "Right here, it's right here Tora" her tears fell down but she made no attempts of wiping them, neither did Tora, since he was on the verge of tears too.

"I'm so sorry, Misa" said Tora, quite speechlessly as he pulled her into his chest and gave her a tight hug as her cries became louder.

"I'm sorry too" she said as she cried in his chest, gripping his shirt tightly, Tora buried his face in the crook of her neck where a tear dropped and disappeared in her hair.

 _Isn't god cruel in his own way?_ Thought Tora, as he sat next to Misa, who had stopped crying now. His heart just got shattered, and now he didn't know what to think.

"What stage are you at?" he asked, unsure of his own voice.

"They don't know it yet, since it's a rare kind of condition" she spoke, a little better know, but her voice still came out throaty due to the excessive crying.

"You're going to fine" he said as he pulled her into a hug again and kissed her hair "You're going to be just fine. I'm sure there are a lot of options…" he said, as if reassuring himself.

"I'm sorry Tora" she said in a small voice, she didn't know what she was apologizing for.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" he said in a small voice of his own.

"Because" she spoke as she shifted herself away from him, she was never a firm believer of exposing her emotions to anyone else…especially after everything she'd gone through.

"Because?"

"Because I'm a time bomb, Tora. I can't have anyone associated with me, I can't hurt people. One day" she cleared her throat once again and shoved her tears and emotions away, "One day I'm going to die" she sighed after saying the wretched word "And I can't have more people hurting because of me. It's my responsibility to make sure that the least number of people get affected"

Tora gaped with her which his jaw hanging open, "Is that why you haven't told anyone, including your parents?"

"I can't destroy so many lives Tora" she said, looking away, "I'm sorry but it's my final decision"

"I do respect your decisions, Misaki…but you have to tell them someday" he spoke "But why do you have to be so negative? I'm sure the doctors will have some or the other options available. You can't lose".

"I am not losing to Cancer, Tora!" She said, in a desperate tone, she trailed off—holding her head between her hands for a moment and then looking up at him again. "I…I am not giving up on myself. I just have to take preventive measures from the start thinking about the worst case scenario. I just don't know right now…I'm just…I'm lost right now. I need to gather my thoughts together" she said, almost talking to herself, pacing back and forth.

Tora sighed, looking far away, "Then gather your thoughts and fight. Because ever since I've known you, I've only known the fighter in you, and I know you will get through this"

"I know" she smiled looking at him, but somehow, she didn't believe him…"Enough about this, what about the dance, who will you take as your date?"

Tora gave her a lazy smile "Do you even have to ask?"

"Well I can't dance!" She wailed, in hopes of lighting up the atmosphere.

"It's compulsory for every employee to attend. Besides, media's gonna be there. Would you like to see me embarrassed?" He played the guilt card.

"You can take any girl you want. Who wouldn't want you?" Misaki spat.

Tora looked at her seriously. He paused for a moment and then put the wine bottle away. Out of the blue, he took Misaki's hand and said, "You"

Misaki was as a loss of words. It was awkward. As if on cue, her stomach made its presence known and Tora couldn't help but laugh.

They ate the take outs in silence. It was already dark now. The sky was lit up by stars and Misaki looked up in awe again. It was so beautiful.

"Oy, Misaki"

"Yeah?"

"Do you wanna see Takumi again?" Tora asked her. His face was serious. Misaki couldn't help but feel that his face hid a thousand shades of heartache.

Misaki decided to not lie and said truthfully, "Honestly, I don't know… Sometimes I feel like wanting to see him. But then, I don't think I have the strength of seeing him in someone else's arms. As long as he's happy, somewhere, it doesn't matter. So, truthfully, I don't know" Misaki looked up at the stars, she raised her legs to her chest and hugged them.

"Aa…" Tora only muttered as he looked up at the sky. They stayed like this for a long time.

Misaki looked at the empty wine bottle. Tora, being drunk, was in no condition to drive. Misaki made him sit in the back seat and drove him off. She glanced one last time at his almost sleeping form and turned the car on. She headed to Tora's house.

"Ne, Misaki" Tora slurred in his half-asleep state.

"Hm?" Misaki muttered as she waited for the signal to go green.

"You're… going to the dance, with me… right?"

"Mhm…Looks like I've got no other choice" Misaki smiled. Satisfied with her answer, Tora fell asleep.

Tora looked peaceful but Misaki knew he was tensed. He was behaving strange these days. She shoved her thoughts in a deep corner as she reached his drive way. His butler was standing in the porch. As Misaki's car came to a stop, butlers hurried to her car and opened the doors. It felt as if they had been expecting her to drive him home.

They carefully took Tora out and one of the butlers bowed to her, "Thank you for bringing Master home safely. Have a good night madam" Misaki smiled and headed home.

The rest of the night passed peacefully. Misaki took a bath and worked on her laptop. She had some catching up to do. And who was this CEO person anyway? He/she was being fussed over a lot!

Misaki sighed. She needed to buy a dress for the ball dance thing. Misaki pinched the bridge of her nose. _This is going to be annoying, I hope I don't end up embarrassing Tora in front of so many people,_ she thought.

Around eleven pm, Misaki's phone buzzed. She excused herself from her laptop on which she'd been working to distract herself and picked up her iPhone. It was Sakura.

"Sakura" Misaki said happily.

"Misaki-Chan! How are you?" Sakura said in her cherry voice. She sounded very happy.

"I'm very well. How about you?" Misaki replied. She had indeed missed her cheeky friend.

"Oh I'm all good! I just got back from Kuuga-kun's tour. I'm going to be in Tokyo Thursday evening, my flight is the next morning. Let's catch up ne, It's been a long time" Sakura said. Over the course of time, Kuuga's band had become really popular in Asia and abroad. He was mostly on tour and Sakura, being his manager, went everywhere he did.

"Alright. How does 6pm sound? I can come over to the hotel where you'll be staying." Misaki said, after looking at her routine tomorrow.

"Sounds good! I'm so excited to meet Misaki-Chan after a long time!" Sakura squeaked.

Misaki couldn't help but smile at her cuteness, "Me too!"

"See you! Good night" Sakura said.

"Good Night"

On Thursday, Misaki had gone to Hotel Sapphire as she promised. Sakura nearly jumped over Misaki upon seeing her and Misaki had almost tripped. She smiled and patted Sakura's head.

"Misaki-Chan! You've gotten thin" Sakura muttered disapprovingly.

Misaki looked at herself in the nearby mirror in Sakura's hotel room. Was she really thinner than before?

"Yea, I got the flu last week" Misaki lied.

"You should take care Misaki. Anyway, tell me everything! Do you have a boyfriend?! Let's go on double dates someday!" Sakura squeaked, a pink aura surrounded her. Misaki smiled awkwardly. Ever since after Takumi, Sakura was always fussing about how she was single and even Shizuko was in a relationship. Misaki told her about her routine and left the unexplainable and sad parts. She told her she had a ball dance to attend and didn't have a dress.

"Whaa—! You don't have a dress and the dance is tomorrow!? What are we doing here then! Let's go already! We don't have time to waste!" Sakura freaked out when she found out that Misaki didn't have a dress. She quickly grabbed a small purse and dragged Misaki along.

Misaki face palmed. She was in it for the long haul. She told Sakura that she had a few discount coupons courtesy of Suzuna which they could use.

Sakura was in full shopping mode, "Let's get them already! Your little sister is so brainy!" Sakura hollered and Misaki could only nod and follow like a robot.

They went to Misaki's apartment and grabbed the frigging coupons while Misaki quickly changed into jeans and a long sleeved top. Winter was just around the corner but the temperature was only a little below moderate.

 _Dresses everywhere!_

Misaki looked around in fascination.

She was sure she had never seen so many dresses stacked in one single place. Her normal shopping consisted of office clothes and comfortable clothing. She looked at Sakura who was furiously rummaging through large isles of dresses _. And to think this is only their party wear collection_ , Misaki took a deep breath and went to Sakura. _Let's get this done_.

The color code for the dance was supposed to be black and white. Misaki pinched the bridge of her nose. She was never made to change so many clothes at once. They had already gone to three boutiques but Sakura wasn't satisfied. For Misaki, all dresses were as good as any, but according to Sakura, she hadn't found the "perfect" match for Misaki yet.

Misaki sighed for the nth time as she put on another dress. She went out and looked at her friend as she _prayed_ that it was enough to satisfy Sakura.

"Perfect" Sakura clapped her hands and Misaki finally felt free.

 **Okay, Sorry guys. Don't hate me now…The reality is always different than a fairytale. But! (There's always a 'but'!) The next chapter will be fun! Promise (:**

 **But I won't update till we reach 100 reviews :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Wildest Dreams**

 **Hey guys, I hope you forgave me by now? Congratulations to "A Promise of Forever" for crossing the 100 review mark.**

 **I don't own Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama! But I do own the quotes under the name "MissKirei" and the plot of the following story. Again, the starting (First Six Paragraphs) of the chapter can be considered to be under "MATURE CONTENT" up to some extent, so if you're not old enough, skip it.**

 _"_ _Even though I really hated the cologne he wore, I always found myself searching for that scent. Even when he wasn't in my life anymore. God, I really hated him—so much that it broke my heart. I hated him so much that I didn't even realize when that hate turned to love."-MissKirei_

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"I thought you would trust me more, after all that we've been through. Ayuzawa." His words were a soft and dangerous murmur against her skin. Misaki gripped the sheets tightly, her breathing was hard, and his lips against her neck were something she couldn't distract herself from. Her cheeks were warm, and there was no way she could hide from him now. He planted a soft kiss on her neck.

"Why so silent, Ayuzawa?" his mouth was a tease, she didn't even register the words that came out of it. They distracted her, teased her, and turned her world upside down. She turned her face away from his eyes and tried to calm the heat rising in her entire being. "S-Shu..t up…" she said embarrassedly, with her mind spinning. She didn't even realize the fact that her fingers that previously gripped the sheets were on his bare back right now, drawing blood in their wake. But he didn't mind. He didn't mind at all.

"Do you always say opposite of the things you mean?" he chuckled as he cupped her cheek lovingly, the blush that covered her face mesmerized her, God, he was drunk in love. His arms were on her either side, and she was his prisoner, lying under him. How the hell did she allow him to dominate her in such a way? He would never be able to fathom what goes under her little head.

"I hate you" she spat, but her actions greatly disagreed with her words.

"I know, I love you too. Ayuzawa" he said as he took her in for another kiss. Their bodies remained connected as he gripped his waist and held her high up in such a way that she was now on top of him. Her hair fell down and reached his cheeks, brushing them slightly—her palms were on his chest, to support herself. He pushed them back and cupped her cheek again, his face was serene and happy. She had given him all of her. She had given him everything.

The look on his face warmed up her core in ways unimaginable. Misaki dipped her head and placed a kiss on his forehead, there were tears in her eyes. Not because of pain, but because of happiness. She broke out in a smile of her own, with her embarrassment long gone—only love remained.

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Misaki woke up in her bed drenched in sweat and tears. Her breathing was heavy and her heart ached. _God—why did I have to dream of all that now?_ She sat up with her hands in her head, she was seeing blind spots early in the morning. "What a great kick start of the day" she heaved and waited to get normal.

After a good ten minutes of heavy breathing, tears, headache and heartache, she finally found the strength to stand up. Misaki went to the bathroom to freshen up—in hopes of forgetting the memory that was so engraved in her mind that she dreamt of it.

Misaki swallowed six pills and took a big gulp of her juice with a sigh. "Why did I dream of such a thing all of a sudden, after so many years, why?" She stared at the mirror, looking at a different version of herself. The version she showed the world. The version everyone knew. She fixed her shirt and pencil skirt and gave her hair another brush, _the version everyone will ever know_.

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On evening, Misaki was relieved of her work earlier than she had anticipated. The office was practically empty. _It seems like everyone is so excited for the Ball Dance thing, Except for me_. Misaki sighed, she had a bad feeling about this, since her day started in a weird manner. She got out of her office and headed home around 4pm. Then, she remembered and how could she not? Misaki had an appointment with Dr. Ayame at 5pm. So she decided to head straight to the hospital instead.

The waiting room was not as crowded as she had thought. What was up with the world today? She couldn't help but feel really nervous about everything today. She hoped in her mind that she comes out of the hospital alive tonight.

"Miss Ayuzawa?" The receptionist called her name and Misaki got up to head to the Doctor's room.

Misaki went inside and greeted Dr. Ayame who looked like she was in a good mood today.

"So how are you feeling?" Dr. Ayame opened her file.

"I'm quite fine, thanks" Misaki muttered nervously. She kept fidgeting.

"Any signs of fatigue, short breaths, fainting? Or vomit? Anything out of the ordinary?"

"N-No, Just a little short breath and erratic heartbeat I guess" Misaki said thoughtfully.

Dr. Ayame took out an injection and motioned for her to come inside the small examination room she had in her office, "So we're going to take a few samples for more tests"

Misaki nodded and pulled up her sleeve. Injections were scary. She closed her eyes as the syringe was injected into her vein.

Misaki took a deep breath of relief when the sampling got over. _I need to get used to this._ She felt dizzy as she got up to leave. The nurse gave her a glass of water and told her to lie down for a few minutes. She obeyed casually.

"Now let's talk about how we're going to deal with this. Have a seat" Dr. Ayame said as she looked at her reports again, Misaki mentally prepared herself as she sat straight.

"You have abnormal tissue growth….right next to your heart. That is indeed a rare case" Ayame spoke softly, and grabbed Misaki's hands and patted them.

"I know" Misaki smiled, apologetically so, "It's okay"

"You're a very brave girl, Misaki. But don't worry. I'll get you started on the treatments right away, I'm just waiting for the reports. We'll have weekly reports to keep a close eye on you and hopefully you'll be fine in no time."

"What are my options, doctor?" she spoke as she clenched her fists in nervousness.

"Well, as soon as I can make out what stage you're at, we can get started. There's always chemo but you must be aware with the side effects" Ayame trailed off, "But we'll choose the best method with limited long term effects"

"Okay…"

"But it all depends on the growth of the tissues. If it has not affected your artery, then we can try removing it by surgery, but then there's always a danger of heart failure…"

Misaki nodded, not knowing what to say.

"Have you informed your parents, or spouse yet?"

"Um, I'm not married. And, not yet. I was hoping to not tell my parents as long as I can" she confessed "I don't think they would be able to handle it"

Ayame opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself. She gave Misaki a reassuring smile "Look Misaki, when we talk about something like Cancer, there's no assurance on what is going to happen next, there's no wishful thinking, there's nothing except the bitter truth, and hope…You're going to have to tell them someday, and the sooner you tell them, the better they'll learn to cope with it."

"Look" She said, in a softer tone this time, "You can't go through this alone, Misa…Love and support are sometimes the only things that work better than medicines…"

"Love…" Misaki laughed, "Don't worry about me, doctor, I'll be fine. You don't have to…I mean, I can handle the truth" she smiled reassuringly. "Just tell me when my reports come?"

"I will" Dr. Ayame said as Misaki got up, She stood up too, and gave her a hug "We'll try our best, who knows? Someday you might be walking free from cancer"

"Let's hope, Doctor" said Misaki, with a bright smile.

"You sure are a strong girl, Misaki" Ayame mumbled with a smile as she saw Misa's retreating back.

And meanwhile, as soon as Misaki reached the empty elevators, her façade broke and tears escaped.

Misaki got home somewhere around seven and took a shower. Tora was supposed to pick her up around eight. She sighed as she felt the warm water soothe her body. How she wished she could stay in the tub all the time.

She put on the dress she had bought with Sakura. It fitted her perfectly. Misaki smiled, if it weren't for Sakura, she wouldn't have known what to do. She was always sucky on the girl part. Hell, she hadn't even gone to her college dance because she had been too busy with her studies and the dance gave her an opportunity to get her shifts done more effectively.

Misaki curled her hair from the ends and left them loose. They had grown and almost reached her waist. She even put on a red lipstick and a light layer of makeup which consisted of eye liner and a little face powder. She groaned as she looked at her reflection. She pinched her cheeks in order to get some color on her face. She heard the doorbell ring and hurried to get the door.

"Hey! Just let me grab my purse" Misaki went inside as soon as she let him in. She ran to her bedroom and wore black heels. She quickly found a small clutch and put some tissues and her iPhone in it.

Meanwhile, Tora was at a loss of words. He had never seen her look so… _breathtaking_. She wore a black allover shimmering sequin dress which had a scoop neckline and a V-cut back. It was a beautiful long dress which clung to her curves beautifully creating a sensual silhouette. Her long loose curls only added to the effect.

He dumbly stood in her living room and waited for her to come out. A sad smile frolicked on his features as he looked at her. As a child, he was always told that there was nothing in the entire world that couldn't be bought with money. He looked down on the floor as he smiled, feeling sorry for himself; _There_ _are_ _a few things that money can't buy,_ he muttered to himself.

Not wanting to keep her 'date' waiting, she walked as fast as she could to find Tora standing in her living room. Misaki couldn't help but notice there was something wrong. There was something unsettling about today. She pushed her thoughts away as she put on a smile and tried to lighten up the atmosphere.

"Wow, my date is so hot" Misaki smirked as she addressed Tora. He wore a white tuxedo and a black formal shirt underneath. He had his hair pushed sideward as usual and a white Rose fixed in his chest pocket. He smiled at her as he took his hand out for her.

"Not so bad yourself" He winked when Misaki took his hand and he spun her around. He set her down and took her hand to put on a beautiful corsage of roses.

"What's this?" She asked with a smile, looking at the corsage.

"Well, since you probably skipped the college dance and prom—this is a flower corsage, Miss Ayuzawa. Men are supposed to put on corsages on the wrists of their beautiful dates, I guess."

"It is beautiful, thank you" she smiled "But there's one problem" Misaki said nervously as he let her go.

Tora stopped and looked at her. She looked perfect, what was wrong? He asked her seriously, "What's wrong? Are you cold? Don't feel too well?"

She lolled her head horizontally and bit her lip. Why was she so nervous!? "I can't…I can't dance" She looked away.

Tora stared at her weirdly as if she had grown two heads and nodded, "Oh It's not hard at all. Let me show you" He held out his hand and she took it.

"So you move like this" He showed her a few moves as he moved with her, "And then just go with the flow. You can just copy your partner and synchronize" He showed her once and Misaki tried to set her pace.

She found her rhythm as they moved along and nodded, "Got it. Thanks"

Tora didn't leave her hand as she tried to walk out, Misaki looked at him questioningly, "What?"

"May I have this dance?" Tora looked in her eyes with a smile. Misaki looked at him quizzically, was it just her or that his eyes actually betrayed the smile that was on his face? They carried a sadness behind them, one which Misaki knew too well. It was the look of longing, of unrequited love, somehow, Misaki was more than familiar with that feeling. She nodded as she placed her hand on his shoulder. Tora gave her another breathtaking smile as he placed his hand on her waist.

"But there's no music" Misaki said as they danced slowly, with her head in the crook of his neck.

"You underestimate me" Tora said slowly as a violins started to play with a snap of his fingers. Misaki pulled back at the sudden music, she saw two butlers standing near her door, playing violins. "You're unbelievable" she said as she crossed her arms.

Tora merely smiled as he pulled her into an embrace and breathed in her scent as if he was doing that for the last time, "And you're a beautiful soul, Misaki" he murmured as they began dancing slowly again. Misaki blushed lightly as she moved with him. And they danced to the slow tune of the music and played the broken strings of their heart.

Tora smiled and let go of her hand. "Let's go" _It's about time,_ he said under his breath.

Tora opened the doors for Misaki and Tora followed. Tora's bodyguard sat in the front seat while his driver started the car. She also noted that there was a black car which was following them closely behind. They had to be on high alert now, Tora closed the windows of the car which were painted black. The media was sure to swamp them with questions if they saw Tora with some "lady".

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The venue was beautiful.

The entrance was a large corridor with a red carpet. The decorations were golden and the hall had been decorated according to the black and white theme. Large chandeliers hung on the ceilings and it was simply beautiful. Misaki wound her arm in Tora's and they both headed inside.

Misaki was greeted with Miss Akira while Tora headed to greet the other guests.

"You sure dressed to impress tonight Misaki-san" Miss Akira smiled as they both exchanged greetings.

Misaki blushed, "You look beautiful Akira-san"

The waiter came and they both took a glass of champagne. Misaki sipped her drink and they both chatted about trivial things until the host of the show entered and all attention went to him.

"May I have your attention Ladies and Gentlemen" Maki spoke, his English as fluent as ever, as he stood in the center of the large stage. _Even Maki had to fly from Europe for this event?_

"Let's move to the main event tonight. The Masquerade ball dance"

On cue, all of the guests were handed similar looking masks. Misaki looked at the mask dumbfounded, so did every other guest.

"May I request everyone to go to their dates and put on the mask" Misaki found Tora and they both stared at Maki, who had his signature smile plastered on his face. "All the ladies are given a golden mask while the gentleman a black mask. The game is to dance with your partner when the music starts and stop when the music ends"

Everyone looked at each other. Was he stupid? What was new about dancing when the music started? Even Misaki knew that much!

Maki continued, "But there is a catch, you have to change your partner every time the music comes to a halt. Your next partner, will be the person standing behind you. In the end, the best five pairs will be called up on stage."

Misaki gaped at Tora who smirked. _The bastard knew all about it!_ Misaki glared at him in horror. Tora chuckled. How was she supposed to dance with strangers!

Misaki was mortified as she put on the stupid mask with trembling fingers. _Dancing is not my forte!_ She said to Tora by her glares, who only smiled wickedly in return.

The music started. Misaki and Tora danced along on a slow pace. It was awkward for Misaki at first but as soon as she found her pace, just like they had in her apartment, she felt good. She looked at Tora and said, "So"  
"Mhm?" Tora looked at her as they danced.

"I don't know, I feel weird" Misaki replied truthfully.

Tora smiled and the music ended. "It will be alright. I promise" he said, as he handed her over to her next partner.

Misaki's next partner had been an aged gentleman. He smiled politely and took her hand. Misaki smiled and danced with him.

"You look spectacular Miss" The old man said as they danced. He wore a white tuxedo which matched his charcoal-grey tie. Although old, he still had his charm.

"Thank you" Misaki replied politely. They danced as the old man pointed over to an old lady that was dancing with some middle aged man, "That's the love of my life right there. We've been married for the last forty years"

Misaki looked at a woman who wore a white dress, much like her husband. _Forty years huh?_ "She's very beautiful" Misaki said to the man.

"She has a beautiful heart. Although a little hot headed, she is" The old man said as he mentally shuddered. Misaki could only smile in response.

The music ended again and Misaki found herself in Tora's arms once again. It was difficult to recognize who was who but Tora's white rose gave it away.

"I am so lucky to be dancing with such a pretty lady" Tora said cheekily, Misaki's first impulse was to smack his head like she usually did, but decided against it as they were supposed to behave themselves.

The music continued for a short while and ended a few minutes later. Tora kept looking behind Misaki's head as they danced. She tilted her head but found nobody.

"Anyway, It's time I let you go now" Tora said, almost inaudibly as he let the girl he loved go into the arms of the man who held her heart.

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Before Misaki could process the hidden meaning behind Tora's words, she was turned around. She looked behind, Tora was nowhere to be found! She was sure to take his class later on.

Right now she faced her next dance partner. He was at least a foot taller than her. He was taller than most of the people there. He wore a three piece black tuxedo with a white shirt. He had a rose just like Tora's, but it was red in color. Misaki couldn't help but think how this guy—man was looking like Tora's contradictory part.

He had blond hair which were neatly pushed sideward. _He must be really handsome,_ she couldn't help but wonder how he looked like without the mask on. He took his hand out and she took it, nervously. This guy didn't say a single word to her but still managed to make her nervous. _Well, It's a bit too late to give up, might as well get this done already_ , Misaki heaved a sigh.

 _Oh my freaking god!_ Misaki groaned inwardly. She was messing up! This guy…He was having this strange effect on her. Her hands trembled. She couldn't help but feel like this guy was familiar. He was intoxicating.

Misaki's dance partner sensed her discomfort and put her hand on his own shoulder. He easily moved on the dance floor. It was almost natural. He made her move along almost effortlessly. It was amazing how he made her move along so simply, as if they were meant to be.

The music ended and Misaki couldn't have been gladder. Her insides were turning to liquids while she struggled to maintain her composure. Her last dance partner had been her opposite. While she had been nervously fidgeting, he was flawless. He moved her along so smoothly. So effortlessly… She was a nervous wreck. Her heart had been beating frantically.

"Okay, Let's find out who the lucky five pairs are, shall we?" Maki was on the stage again. Everyone clapped as the lights dimmed and the spotlight started to move. She looked around but didn't spot Tora. She took a deep breath to calm her beating heart. Her partner had been standing next to her and was currently looked at the stage. She decided it was rude to ogle strangers like that, so she faced the stage too.

Three pairs were already selected and called on the stage. Misaki looked at them. There really was no way to identify people. Everyone wore black and white dresses and golden and black masks. She didn't know who was being called out until the spotlight came over her head.

People clapped in the same way as they did for others. The man next to her gave her a hand and she took it nervously. _This is so embarrassing,_ Misaki thought. She was glad to be wearing the mask right now.

They walked towards the stage and Misaki tried very hard not to stumble clumsily. She stumbled a little because of her dress but her dance partner helped get her balance back without falling down. Misaki was grateful. "T-Thank you" She managed to say, the man nodded but didn't utter a single word.

 _Is he mute?_ Misaki couldn't help but wonder at his silence.

The front of the stage was replaced by a mic and a small orchestra. A singer came up on the stage with a guitar and addressed the guests, "Good Evening, Ladies and Gentleman. I'm going to be singing the song Crazier by Taylor Swift"

The violins started to play and five spotlights were right over the heads of the five pairs. Everyone started to dance. Misaki's partner stuck out his hand, for the nth time and Misaki took it, again. They danced in ease and Misaki couldn't help but wondering something was really uncanny about tonight.

Unbeknownst to Misaki, a pair of eyes watched her from the mini bar. Tora Igarashi stared at her moving form while he had a glass of whiskey in his right hand. He pushed his hair backwards as he took another sip. As the music started, he couldn't bear to see this anymore. He downed the contents of his glass and got out of the damn place.

 _You lift my feet off the ground_

 _You spin me around_

 _You make me crazier, crazier_

A figure approached Tora and stood next to him in the large veranda. Tora grabbed another glass of scotch from the waiter.

 _Feels like I'm falling and I_

 _I'm lost in your eyes_

"They really belong together, don't they?" Tora looked at the glass which was in his hand. He stared at the ice cubes that were present in his drink.

 _You make me crazier, crazier._

"It appears so" was all Maki could say.

 _Crazier…_

All eyes were on the pairs of couples that were dancing on the stage. Glitter and confetti was being poured from the top along with rose petals and the lighting was romantic. Misaki looked around in fascination. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. She was happy.

 _Baby you showed me what living is for_

 _I don't wanna hide anymore_

Misaki couldn't help but blush at the lyrics. Everyone looked so happy while her dance partner was stuck with a nervous wreck. Sometimes Misaki wondered how god had made her a girl by mistake.

 _You lift my feet off the ground_

 _You spin me around_

 _You make me crazier, crazier_

 _Feels like I'm falling and I_

 _I'm lost in your eyes_

 _You make me crazier, crazier._

 _Crazier_

Misaki was grateful the song had ended. Everyone had stopped dancing and people clapped. There were cheers in the background.

"Thank you everyone for gracing us with your presence tonight. I would like to request the guests to take off their masks. The dance is officially over. Please head to the dining room. Dinner is served" Maki said with a smile and left the stage.

Misaki took off her masquerade and looked at her partner. She was curious to see his face. She felt like weird. Maybe it was just her heart…as always. She wanted to know who this man was, who had the power of turning her into jelly without so much as a word.

The said man looked at her for a moment; and then removed the black masquerade which hid his handsome features. A smile played on his face as he saw the stunned expression on Misaki's face.

Misaki blinked.

 _Huh?_

 **So?**

 **READ REVIEW FAVORITE FOLLOW**


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12: Wounds**

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 **AUTHOR's NOTE:**

 **Back with the next chapter of A Promise of Forever. Hope you enjoy this (Shout out to every single one of you, we just crossed 5600 reads!).**

 **I can see so much hate directed towards Takumi, it almost makes me laugh. Well, He did make some mistakes and I think he deserves it. As for Tora, he isn't an angel either, well he has never been an angel. Let's see what happens with them all. The only question remains, Will Misaki be able to survive all this?**

 **I promise that even if Tora doesn't end up with Misaki, he will have a happy ending. I cannot say the same for Misaki though.**

 **I was really happy with the response of last chapter, some even told me that it was one of the best chapters so far, I agree! It did turn out to be beautiful. Heh.**

 **Okay guys, exam week is here, I hope to update every story soon but I guess it won't happen till the 1** **st** **of October.**

 **Thank you for the lovely support and love:**

 **ReaderWriter101** (You're welcome, here's the next chapter for you) **, Minniemiss123** (I loved your review, yes, she had finally met him. Don't cry! (: ) **,putiaryx** (You really hate Takumi, don't you? hahah) **, Takumisa17** (I did!) **,Aya** (Thank you!) **,GreenCabbage** (Hope you like this, I really like your username!) **,MistWizard** (Tora will have a happy ending, promise (: ) **, Lalala** (I'm still not sure If it will be toramisa or takumisa) **,Amber83** (You're gonna have to read to find out (: ) **,Kimi Ayuzawa** (I know right, I love that book, I don't think Takumi knows about her condition yet though. And the reason will be revealed soon. Love you too!) **, Guest** (The suspense is over (: Read in to find out!) **, Ryokensai** (I guess It is (: ), **Knight Lynx(** here you have it! **), Guest(** (: **) , Guest** **(I do not appreciate the comment about hambree)** **,Evangeline Allen** (I'm still not sure if it's a takumisa or toramisa **), infinitebliss321(** Thank you so much *fangirls back*).

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 **"** _What hurts more than the wounds that don't bleed? The wounds that don't bleed._ **"** **MissKirei**

 **"** _Say you'll remember me, standing in a nice dress, staring at the sunset, babe. Red lips and Rosy cheeks, say you'll see me again, even if its just in your wildest dreams._ **"** **,(TaylorSwift "Wildest Dreams")**

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 **Presently,**

Was she dreaming?

Was this a hallucination?

She bit her lip. No, this was real.

Stunned

Shocked

Hurt

Angry

Broken

All the words above described the look on Misaki's face as she muttered the name she thought she would never hear herself say again. She looked at his emerald eyes, begging God to not make her fall for those eyes again. She backed off immediately as she saw his…his handsome face. It was heartbreaking. Her heart beat so fast that it actually hurt. She placed her palm on her chest, words flowed out of her mouth but they were incoherent and a soft whisper. Enough to cause her heartache.

Before the man standing in front of her could utter a single word. Misaki left.

Misaki walked fast.

She left the stage. The sound of her heartbeat was the only thing that she was able to hear. She took long strides and her walking turned into running. She didn't care if she was creating a scene. She started to run and only stopped in front of the Ladies' room.

It was a good thing she brought tissues in her purse, because she was going to need them tonight.

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 **Earlier**

Takumi looked around searching for Tora. He was supposed to be at the gala by now. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around. He saw Tora, who was alone. Wasn't he supposed to bring Misaki? Takumi looked around for raven hair and honey-brown eyes and gazed back at Tora when he found none.

"Easy there. She's here" Tora said, he had a dark expression on his face. Takumi couldn't help but feel strange. Although he was grateful for Tora for shouting some sense into his brains and dragging his ass back to Japan, he couldn't help but feel that his presence wasn't appreciated by Tora.

"Okay" Takumi finally said. Tora kept glaring at him. Takumi only stared back.

Their cold war continued until Tora looked around and saw Misaki searching for him. Maki had announced the rules for the dance and it was time for them to put on the masks. Tora extended a hand towards Takumi and put on his business smile.

"If you hurt her again" Tora said as Takumi shook his hand, both gentleman smiled. To the world they looked like two business partners who shook hands signifying a bond of friendship between the two companies. But, the reality was different and they both knew it.

"I won't make the same mistake twice; and if I do," Takumi said as he put his mask on, "You'll get my body before you can send your men to kill me" having said that, he walked away into the crowd of people.

The dance bored Usui Takumi to no end. His eyes searched frantically for straight raven hair but they found none. He frowned. Where was Misaki? Did she know he was going to be there? _If she did, she wouldn't even think of setting foot into the gala,_ Takumi shook his head. He had really did it this time. He looked up again with a little hope as he found Tora, _I'm going to set things right and make it up to you, Misaki. No matter what._

Takumi had found Tora dancing with a lady in a long black dress. Takumi frowned, Misaki didn't have curly hair. So she wasn't her. Takumi looked at Tora, who motioned for him to come over. _So this_ is _Misaki,_ He looked at the young lady who was dancing with Tora. She was the same height as his Misa. But she was thinner. Takumi scowled, she has lost so much weight. _I wonder how much she overworked herself in the past six years._

Takumi vowed to take care of her as soon as he took her hand for the dance. He was never leaving her again. He wasn't a naïve seventeen year old anymore. He was Takumi Walker, The powerful CEO of Walker Corporation, and he didn't play puppet to anyone. Not even to his brother and grandfather.

Takumi kept frowning the entire time they were dancing. Firstly, He wasn't able to see her beautiful face because of the stupid mask they were wearing. Secondly, she had lost so much weight! He wanted to make her sit down and make her eat lots of food until she couldn't breathe. Hell, He wanted to kiss her until she couldn't breathe.

He shoved his thoughts away as he tried to enjoy her presence. It had been six years. Six years since he had held her in his own arms. He noted how his mere presence was able to make her nervous. He still had that effect on her. Takumi couldn't help but smile. _You're so sly._

He easily made her move along the music. She kept on fidgeting. How he wanted to run his hand through her hair. He noted that she had curled her hair from the tips. So she had learnt a little girlish things over the course of time. A smile played on his features as he saw her grown up form. She looked like a lady. _A very well gifted lady._

Takumi was lost in thoughts as he thought of how she would react upon seeing his face. It was bound to not end up well. He was anticipating at least a punch from her, because Ayuzawa Misaki was never a woman who would accept him with a smile after what he had done to her.

When the last announcement was made, Takumi couldn't help but smile. It was about time he saw her face for the first time in six years. He was going insane speculating. It was hard for him to control the smile that crept up his face whenever he was around her. He took off his mask and looked at the girl who had his heart, right from the start.

She had grown up.

She had grown up a lot.

"Ta…k…mi?"

Takumi had frozen in his place. Before he could utter a single word to stop her, or hold her wrist, Misaki fled. She literally ran! Okay, He hadn't expected this. He couldn't help but feel a pang of hurt and guilt wash over him as she walked away from him. She had been caught off guard when he took off his mask. She wasn't expecting him to be there. He looked down at the floor as he stood helplessly. The look of pure shock on her beautiful face was soon replaced by pain the moment she recognized him. It was like he had been slapped right on his face. Takumi lifted his face up once again. With determination in his eyes, he wasn't going to give up that easy.

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Misaki stared at the wash basin as she stood in the Ladies' room. Thankfully, nobody else was there. She had locked the door from inside. She kept staring at the wash basin as she tried to blink away the tears that were helplessly falling from her eyes. What was he doing here? Had Tora invited him purposely? She had mixed feelings about seeing him. Why was he here? There was a flood of questions in her mind as her heartbeat thrummed rapidly. She breathed heavily and even had to sit down on the floor, to calm herself down. _This wasn't good…_

What was she supposed to do? Give him a hug? Tell him "Welcome back, Master"? Cry?

After a long period of time, Misaki dried her face using the tissues she had in her purse. She looked up in the mirror and took out some face powder she had kept in her purse. She successfully hid her puffy eyes behind a layer of powder and looked in the mirror. If he was here to mock her, or just because he was bored, She wasn't going to cry and give him the satisfaction. She was going to show him just how strong she had become. Misaki's thoughts were interrupted by a text.

Tora~ _Dinner's served. I'm waiting in the main hall. Our new partner is here too. Show up._

Misaki looked at her reflection once again as she flipped her hair and put on a smile. She wasn't going to lose business just because she saw an ex. She barged out of the restroom and headed straight to the dining hall.

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Misaki headed to the main dining hall in which only a few important people were present along with Tora and his team. Misaki walked over to him. Before she could ask him what Usui Takumi was doing in the event, he was snatched away by some other businessmen. Misaki stood there awkwardly and soon found Miss Akira standing alone with a glass of wine.

"Miss Akira" Misaki walked over and they both exchanged greetings.

Miss Akira smiled on the mention of her name, "Why hello there Misaki-san. I saw you up there with that handsome man. Did you know him?"

Misaki said nonchalantly, "Never seen him before"

"Well he sure was charming. Oh look! The new business partner is here. I think we should head there" Miss Akira said as she walked towards the huge dining table that was set. Some of the guests were sitting and Miss Akira followed.

"Okay" Misaki said as she followed Miss Akira. They sat somewhere in the middle of the dining table. On their opposite ends were a few people Misaki recognized from her office. She politely greeted them and they engaged in small talk.

Everyone stood up when Tora came in. Misaki did so too, along with Akira and others. A tall man followed Tora Igarashi and shook hands with him. Misaki looked at the man standing next to Tora, she could recognize this face even with closed eyes.

"I present before you, the CEO of Walker Corporation and our new Business Partner, Mr. Takumi Walker" Maki said with his ever so present smile.

 _"_ _Just great" She mumbled and close her eyes._

People clapped and Misaki opened her eyes as she struggled hard to maintain her stoic face. Takumi sat down on one end and Tora did on the other.

Everyone sat down except for Misaki. She was still standing, looking at Tora. She was glaring daggers at him.

"Miss Ayuzawa? Is something the matter?" A voice said, fluent English—a must in business parties, Misaki nodded and sat down effortlessly. Her eyes were still fixated on Tora Igarashi.

"Oh nothing. It's just that, I wasn't informed about our new—business partner, which is strange because I'm Mr. Igarashi's Legal Advisor." Misaki smiled. A few people raised their eyebrows.

Tora joined in the conversation soon, "Well, Miss Ayuzawa was on leave for the last two weeks due to an illness"

All eyes were now on one Misaki Ayuzawa. Miss Akira looked at her worriedly.

Misaki glared at Tora, who bit back a smirk, "Well, Mr. Igarashi, why don't we have a meeting right after dinner, So that you can inform me about all that I've missed?"

Tora was enjoying this too much, it was really fun to bicker in English! Misaki scowled at him.

"I'll make sure to brief you about everything, Miss Ayuzawa" Tora replied as he chewed on his food. If it weren't for everyone else who was present, Misaki would have put Tora's head on a silver platter by now.

 _A two week sick leave? Knowing her, she must have been forced to take the leave; but still, two weeks is a long time. How sick were you, Ayuzawa?_ Amidst all the conversation, Takumi Walker kept his eyes solely on one Ayuzawa Misaki. He had noted the puffiness of her eyes, _she had been crying._ Takumi lost all appetite as the treacherous thought crossed his mind; He had been the source of her distress. He wondered how many times he must have been the source of her tears. He sat up straight and barely ate. He was surrounded by various people, some from his company and some from Igarashi Corp. He remained indifferent to all of them, his eyes were still fixated on one Ayuzawa Misaki who was effectively ignoring him.

"So, Mr. Walker, did you enjoy the gala tonight?" , father of Tora Igarashi spoke, upon sensing Takumi's uninterested appearance. All eyes were now on Takumi who was unmoved by the attention.

"I enjoyed it a lot. Thank you very much" Takumi smiled in delight as he remembered the dance. His eyes were back on Misaki, who found her fork quite fascinating at the moment.

After dinner, Misaki excused herself and headed to the powder room with Miss Akira.

"Who knew that handsome man you danced with would turn out to be our business partner" Akira nudged Misaki playfully who was now mortified.

"You know he had his eyes fixated on you during dinner. Love at first dance maybe?" Akira continued to tease Misaki.

"It's not like that!" Misaki looked away. How was she supposed to explain Akira that they weren't strangers?

They headed back and Misaki wished Usui was gone by now. She was going to have to face him every fucking day at office. It was going to be mentally and emotionally hard for her. Misaki frowned, her tears were coming out a little too much lately.

She found Tora talking to some associates. Misaki walked towards him and greeted the gentlemen, who complimented her.

She saw Takumi walking towards her with some other people from his company. She wanted to run so far away from him, but Tora kept her in place.

"Miss Ayuzawa, I'm sure you have met Mr. Walker by now" Tora spoke and the men looked at her. Takumi gave her a smile and extended his hand out.

"Mr. Walker" Misaki said to him, she looked straight in his eyes.

"Miss Ayuzawa, It's a pleasure to meet you" Takumi replied with a soft smile, his hand was effectively ignored by the women, like she would want to have physical contact with him.

"But I cannot say the same for myself", she mumbled but this reached his ears, and before more small talk could be made, she excused herself; "Sorry, I have to head home now. Good night gentlemen _"_ Misaki politely spoke.

Takumi looked at her, "I shall escort Miss Ayuzawa"

"Thank you, but I'm a grown up, not to mention—independent, woman. I can get my way around the town. It's what I've been doing on my own for the past years" Misaki said, with her venom like voice coated with sweetness. How dare he? Trying to be all gentlemanly and chivalrous in front of her. Where was this chivalry when he had left her with a thirty second phone call?

Tora was by Misaki's side in an instant and whispered, "Let's not get feisty already. You didn't bring your car. I'm not gonna send you in a fucking taxi when I can drop you off myself." His words were absolute but that didn't deter Misaki.

"I can go on my own" Misaki glared. She was really angry right now and whoever got in her way was sure to get burnt.

"At least take my car" Tora said exasperatedly as his butler handed him the keys.

"Fine" Misaki took the keys and started walking towards the parking lot. She bid her goodbyes to everyone and left.

She walked soundlessly into the parking lot. She unlocked the car to find the car by its beeping voice. She found the black car which was parked in the end of the isle.

As Misaki walked towards the car, she found Takumi standing next to it as he patiently waited for her to come. Misaki tried her best to ignore him.

"Misaki—"Takumi spoke, and before he could say another word, Misaki cut in.

"Mr. Walker" She trembled, "Goodnight"

It took a lot of strength on her part to say such simple words as she looked into his dark green eyes cautiously. Before he could make her stay, she got in the car and drove away.

As Misaki drove away from the love of her life, she knew she wasn't going to get any rest tonight. She was sure to dream of blond hair and emerald eyes.

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 **A few weeks ago: London, England**

"Can't say it's a pleasure meeting you, Walker" he spat as he sat on one of the recliners in front of his desk, he tapped the base of his cigarette into the ashtray and put it in between his lips.

"Likewise, Igarashi." The said man spoke with a smile, it was not a genuine smile—it was merely darkness coated with the curl of lips. Tora couldn't help but snicker.

"So, to what do I owe this peculiar visit? It must have been important for you to fly in a private jet just to meet me. I didn't know I meant that much to you, Igarashi?" Takumi spoke as he closed his laptop and paid full attention to the man sitting in front of him.

"Save your words, Walker. I just dropped by to catch up, after all we were rivals once." He smirked as he exhaled smoke and put the half burnt cigarette in the ashtray.

"I never considered you my rival, Igarashi" he spoke as he stood up from his recliner and looked at the city view from his large floor to ceiling windows. His tone was nonchalant and it angered the other blond haired man. He broke out into an evil toothy laughter, "I'm glad, because I don't have to be your rival anymore." He spoke with a smirk as he placed his right leg over the left one.

"Finally found love, have you?" Takumi turned around, his tone was bored and he couldn't help but question why the Igarashi had paid him a visit.

"Sure, if you call it love, I must say I am thankful to you" He said as he played with his platinum lighter, to this, Takumi merely narrowed his eyes, "And why should you be thankful to me?"

"Oh because you left Ayuzawa for me, of course." he said, an arrogant smirk was stuck on his face and he couldn't help but enjoy.

"I do not concern myself with the matters of Ayuzawa Misaki anymore." Takumi spoke, his tone went from bored to lazy in a moment. He sat on the plush couch by the windows, "Is that why you're here? To thank me for ending an immature relationship years ago?"

Tora laughed, again, "Sure, but I still am curious as to why you left her. I wouldn't leave such a feisty kitten in this damned world alone."

"I got bored" he said, simply. "This is getting nowhere, Igarashi. Is that why you really came all the way?"

"I thought you were hopelessly in love with Ayuzawa, poor girl, she always thought I was the asshole." Tora made a mocking face with puppy dog eyes, he was enjoying this way too much. He placed the lighter on the glass table.

"But aren't you the asshole, Igarashi? Always playing people?" Takumi said, a lazy smile overcame his features. A waiter came inside the office and placed two glasses of champagne on the table sitting in front of the couch.

"I never feel ashamed of my actions, Walker. I play people, so what? That's what a businessman always does. Sure, I fuck bitches, but what's the harm? They get what they want—money, fame, whatever, and I get what I want, what's the harm?" He spoke as he stood up from the chair and picked up a champagne glass. "At the very least, I never make them believe that I'm in love with them, like you?"

The other blond man picked up his glass lazily and looked at Igarashi impassively "Ayuzawa Misaki is a delusional girl." He paused, but continued later, "Her matters do not concern me anymore." He said as he looked out of the window.

"Then congratulate me, bastard!" Igarashi spoke as he clinked his glass with that of Takumi, "Cheers to me for fucking Ayuzawa every single night!" Takumi turned his face and looked at Igarashi again, "If you're here to see if I still care about the past, I don't Igarashi."

Tora laughed in his face, after all, he didn't miss the way Takumi's hold on the glass had tightened at his remark. He was enjoying this way too much, he didn't care if he was wicked, evil or an asshole. He was having fun.

"I know" he said as he sipped his champagne "But you're damned stupid, Walker."

Takumi spoke nothing. But that didn't stop Tora from talking, "Remember once I had kissed Ayuzawa in front of you when I'd helped her come here to meet you? Now that I think about it, she really was a delusional girl" he laughed "But anyway, delusional works for me as long as I get to put my face between her lovely legs" he said with a toothy grin, "Anyway, when I'd kissed her, I knew I was going to end up addicted" he said with a sigh, "That Ayuzawa is really something, I ended up becoming more than addicted." He chuckled as he turned around from the city view and looked back at Takumi "Damn, I'd never leave such a girl" he paused with fondness, and laughed more "and that's why you're stupid".

"As I said before, I got bored. So I left her. Is that a big deal? I get it—you're addicted her, but what does your love life have to do with me?" Takumi said with a lazy smile, his glass laid half empty in his hands, he'd stopped drinking.

"Who said it was love? It's just the sex, plain unadulterated sex." Tora said as he placed the champagne glass on the table, "That girl has one good pussy, always unsated" he grinned wickedly as he heard the sound of a breaking champagne glass which didn't belong to him, his laughter doubled as soon as he found himself being slammed into the glass window angrily.

Takumi held him by the collars of his crisp shirt and glared at him "You stop talking now."

"…and it's time you began talking, Takumi." Tora smirked again, as he addressed the man in front of him with his first name.

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Tora stood out of Takumi's office, with a smile on his face, "I'll dare you, Walker. Show up in front of Ayuzawa unlike the coward you are being right now by hiding."

"I am not hiding from anything, Igarashi, stop being so feisty" Takumi smirked, "Are you scared that I'll steal her away from you, like always?"

"Dear business partner" Tora laughed "I challenge you to show up in front of Ayuzawa. I'm not even threatened by you. She won't even look twice your way. And this doesn't mean I'm giving up on her. If you're not sharp enough, I'll steal her away in the blink of an eye."

"She is not an object to be won, Igarashi" Takumi said with a glare. Tora rubbed his jaw which was bruised now.

Tora stopped talking for a moment, "I know" he was silent for a while, "Which is why she deserves to know why you left her. But I want you to sort it out yourself, the final choice is hers."

Takumi nodded as he ran a hand through his hair, his bleeding knuckles made a red trail on his forehead. Tora laughed, "Your hair just went from blond to red".

"Don't talk as if you're in any better position, Igarashi" Takumi smirked as he looked at the mess he had managed to make, Tora's white shirt was red, his jaw bled and was turning purple; and his neck sported a very large bruise as well.

"I know, damn you, Walker" Tora sighed.

Takumi chuckled dryly, "Proper up, Igarashi"

"Likewise, Walker. Clean up the mess you've made" he said as he left, Takumi looked at his destroyed office, he knew Tora wasn't talking about his clothes and his cabin right now.

"And I will" he sighed. _He was going to clean up all the mess he'd made._

 _\- - - - - - - - - - - - x - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_

 **In the review section, write your favorite quote so far from this story, it can be the quotes I put at the start of every chapter or any dialogue from any chapter. I really wanna know what you thought of this chapter too!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: You wreck me.**

 **Ohohoho! And I'm finally back with the chapter update after so long! To answer a few things collectively, (since it's not possible for me to reply to so many reviews):**

 **1\. Yes, I'm terribly sorry for making you all wait. The chapter presented before me a few difficulties and I rewrote it twice, I'm sorry to everyone who was literally praying for updates. I love you guys. Btw, it was fun to read the reviews, and to know which lines you liked the most! Thank you!**

 **2\. I know its devastating to see Misaki reduced to such a state but I think she's going to do a lot of crazy shit in this chapter. Things are weighing down on her.**

 **3\. Someone had once asked me why I had named this as "A Promise of Forever", that will be explained in the next chapter's flashback.**

 **4\. You guys are really sweet and patient for bearing with me, the wait is over and I look forward to your response. I have a little something for both Tora x Misa and Takumi x Misa fans in this chapter.**

 **5\. I decided to skip the long notes that I usually do, so I wanna thank EVERYONE for the love and support. I'm glad you read the stuff I write since I'm not that good yet.**

 **—** **x—**

 _You move through my mind like the most graceful of ballads, and by that—I mean,_

 _You bore the fuck out of me. (Samuel_D_Thompson)_

 **—** **x—**

"hahah! I don't actually give a fuck anymore!" with a bottle of alcohol in hand and a pack of cigarettes in another, Misaki laughed. It was a good thing she'd taken Tora's car, the damn fucker did keep it stashed after all. Now don't get her wrong, Misaki was all against alcohol and smoking, but tonight—she needed to _forget_.

Her fingers trembled as she tried to ignite the lighters, "You damned thing!" She yelled unintelligibly, glaring at the lighter, currently in her shimmering black beautiful dress, she sat on the cold sand, yes—she was on a desolate beach in the middle of the night. Her hair, which she had curled very carefully, were now a mess. The waves of the sea were roaring and Misaki was laughing as she put a stick of cigarette between her lips and actually lighted the thing—now that was a first.

The material of her dress was now dirty due to the wet sand that stuck to it while she sat, but she couldn't care less at the moment. The cold that she felt made her shiver, but she was soon warm, thanks to the booze. She laughed looking at the sea, "Yeah, you laugh too!" she laughed as she stood up tipsy. "Why me?! Tell me! I don't complain much, but really now, why me!?" She yelled to nobody in particular and took out the cigarette,

"First you send Usui Takumi in my life! Then you let him ruin me for every other man…" she snickered as tears fell, "Then you let him leave me! He gets to walk away from me after a thirty second phone call and get on with his life! Hahah! What about me?! Tell me, God? What the fuck did you plan for me?! Tears? Sadness? Weakness? Cancer?" she laughed as she flat on her face, the water reached her and washed over her, she was laughing, "And just when I try to move in my life and be positive for a change! You send him back into my fucked up life! Why!?" She turned and sat on her ass as a sea wave washed over her again, "And now you fuck my cigarette." she laughed as she wiped her face with the back of her palm, "I was trying to love Tora, you know…" she pursed her lips into a tight line. Her lips trembled as she got up somehow, and tried to find where she had left her bottle.

She'd found the bottle just nearby, she thanked the gods that it wasn't washed over by the water and sat down some distance away from the water, her head started to spin. She gulped down the liquid down, not caring about the burns that her throat felt and she didn't even notice the trail of blood that came down her nostrils as she passed out on the wet sand.

 **—** **x—**

 _"_ _Ayuzawa, don't hide from me now" Usui chuckled as he tried to lift up the blankets under which his girlfriend was hiding. He felt her shift under the covers, she curled up into a ball, "I-I'm not getting out! Baka Usui!"_

 _Usui could only manage a chuckle as he tried to untangle the sheets, his face lightened up as soon as raven hair came into view, he tried to remove the blanket which was covering her pretty face. He smiled as her face came into view, she was blushing profusely and turned herself over so that she was lying on her stomach with her face away from him._

 _Takumi turned her around, he was currently directly above Misaki, his arms caging her from running away, he looked down at her cute face and gave her a chaste kiss on her forehead. He traced her jawline with his thumb. She was too cute for words._

 _"_ _W-What are you doing! Baka! Don't be inappropriate!" Misaki tried to escape from him as she pressed both of her arms on his chest in attempt to push him away, and failed miserably._

 _Takumi chuckled, "If I remember correctly, Nobody was complaining about being inappropriate a few hours ago" He emphasized on the last words when he made a serious face as he tried to pretend to remember previous events._

 _Misaki turned seven shades of scarlet on the mention of "a few hours ago" she was beyond embarrassed. They had finally done 'it' and she was not ready to share jokes about 'it' damn it!_

 _"_ _Sh-Shut up! Usui!" She caught him off guard when he was busy noting her expressions and got up, she found the first article of clothing and put it on. She face palmed when it turned out to be Usui's shirt. It's better than wearing nothing at all, Misaki sighed._

 _His shirt hung loosely on her petite frame and she sat up, ignoring Usui. He pouted and looked at her, he got up and walked to the edge of the bed where Misaki was sitting. He rested both of his arms on both sides where she was sitting and looked at her directly, he was now at the same height as Misaki, who blushed at the gesture._

 _"_ _Misaki" He looked at her in the eyes._

 _Misaki blushed, why was he looking all serious all of a sudden? She looked away, "W-What? You...Why did you suddenly call me by my name?"_

 _Usui moved up towards Misaki who moved further backwards on the bed, "Why don't you call me by my name too?"_

 _"_ _W-Why you, Us—ui, Why all of a sudden?! It's embarrassing!" Misaki stuttered under his gaze._

 _"_ _Well I figured, since I have a name, why not?"_

 _Misaki looked away, Usui turned her face towards him and spoke as he kissed her neck, "I want Misaki to call me by my name"_

 _"_ _Ta...Ku" Misaki trembled, "Ta...ku...mi" She mouthed, experimentally._

 _Usui smiled and gave her a kiss on the lips, "Once more…Misaki"_

 _"_ _Takumi" Misaki exhaled, it wasn't that hard to say his name now, it was as easy as breathing._

 _Takumi blushed as he gave her a passionate kiss, he grabbed the hem of the shirt Misaki was wearing and tugged at the button using one hand as he whispered into her hair "Thank you, Misaki". He pushed her back on the bed and deepened the kiss._

 **—** **x—**

Misaki Ayuzawa woke up drenched in sweat and tears and not once did she find a man with blond hair and green eyes sleeping next to her, instead she found herself in a room with white walls, was she dead? She'd be actually happy if she was dead. She laughed at the thought, where did the strong willed Ayuzawa Kaichou go?

She tried to sit up, but realized that she couldn't when she felt as if she was stabbed a thousand times all over her body, she lifted her hand to see herself drowning in tubes and needles, she sighed. She was in a fucking hospital.

"She's up" she heard a voice say, but didn't know who it was since she couldn't move her body. There were muffled voices and she felt drowsy as soon as she felt another needle in her arm, and the world went black.

 **—** **x—**

Sunlight peeked through the curtains and Misaki opened her eyes, she smiled, one of these days she was going to close her eyes and never open them. She was beginning to get tired of all this weakness. She was sick of being so sick. She was sick of being rescued. She was sick of relying on Tora more than anything. He was always there. Loving her. Supporting her. Being her friend. Being her rival. Being everything she could ask for. And she knew she sure as hell didn't deserve it.

It was too much for her to sit back and watch people suffer for her, she wanted to be strong again—independent and someone whom everyone relies on. Or maybe she just wanted to die already.

She sat up and the first sight she saw was of Tora—who was sitting on the sofa with his hands in his hair. He was looking down on the floor tiles, she presumed. She felt as if she was stabbed in the chest. The most suffering and pain was shouldered by Tora. She looked at him as she felt tears welling up. He deserved better, he deserved more. He deserved a happy life, not a broken one. She knew she was selfish doing this, but it was time he let her go…

Misaki smiled as she pretended to clear her throat, this caught his attention. He looked straight in her direction, their eyes met and Misaki smiled awkwardly—hoping no tears leak out. He was knelt down at the edge of her bed in a flash, and he was glaring at her.

"Are you okay?! What the fuck were you thinking?! How did you manage to fuck up so bad, Misa!?" he looked at her in disbelief, she didn't want to know how he had found her, or how bad she managed to fuck up. For a moment, she just wanted to be with him.

"T-Tora," she addressed him and he nodded as he neared her, she couldn't speak well—for some reasons and her voice was small; broken. She smiled as she tried to sit up, feeling sore after lying on the bed for god knows how long.

"What is it?" he spoke as soon as he adjusted her pillows and the bed setting. She smiled again, bitterly, as she held his hand. Tora stiffened and he sat on the edge of the bed after she urged him.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, as she held his face by the jaw and kissed his lips. What was she sorry for? For hurting him? Ruining him? Or was she sorry for this stolen kiss?

As expected, Tora was stiff as a stick. What was she doing this for? He caressed her cheek as she kissed him on the lips and pulled away, he looked at her questioningly.

Misaki gave him a tight smile, why had she done this? She felt like this was a parting gift for Tora. She wanted to wish him a happy life. She wanted to tell him to forget her. She wanted to tell him to move on. But she couldn't _say_ it, so she wanted to _convey_ it.

"Why are you—?" He paused midway, "Why?" he asked her, she had rendered him speechless.

"I did this so that you can remember me by," she smiled bitterly, "Someday when I'm dea—" Tora's eyes widened but she continued, by changing her words, "Someday, when I'm not here and you're having a bad day—I'd want you to remember me by, with this" she smiled as she placed her fingertips on her lips. Tora's throat tightened at her words, didn't she see how her words broke his heart. She had already given up on life.

"I don't want to talk about anything right now" she looked away as she looked out of the window, "I—Tora, I'm sorry for what I did. Think of it as a commemoration, so that someday when you're happy and I'm not here to mess up your life, you can recall me. This is literally the one thing I can give you as a parting gift." She laughed as her eyes burned with unshed tears. She had to detach herself from Tora as soon as she could, after all.

But he didn't let her.

He'd pulled her into a hug before she could drink away her tears, "You know that I love you, right? Don't talk to me as if you're already dead, Ayuzawa." He spoke in her hair as he hugged her, "You're not going anywhere, and I'm not giving up on you. Just because that bastard is back, doesn't mean I will just sit back and watch." He gave her a toothy grin as he pulled away and Misaki was silent. But the moment was saved as soon as Dr. Ayame burst inside the room.

"Ayuzawa Misaki, what the hell were you doing on a stranded beach at 3AM in the morning!? If it weren't for the GPS of Mr. Igarashi's car, we wouldn't even have found you at the right moment." Ayame tapped her heel against the floor as she furiously wrote down readings of various monitors in the charts. She threw the cardboard on the table and Misaki stiffened, feeling as if a teacher caught her cheating.

"I thought you would respond more positively to your situation. But since you didn't," she sighed as she looked at Misaki, "I'm going to take matters into my own hands, your chemo starts Monday, Ayzuawa. And since you don't have any family here, Mr. Igarashi already filled in as your guardian. And since I have full permission from your guardian, I'm going to see to it that you come out alive, whether you like it or not." She crossed her arms.

"I've known you Misaki, and I don't know who I'm looking at right now." She sighed as she sat down with a sigh, "But I want the old Misaki back, and the old Misaki would also want me to bring you back. Don't you think so, Igarashi-san?" She looked at Tora, who chuckled. "You have the full support of the Igarashi foundation, I give you full permissions and we can reschedule Miss Ayuzawa's working hours as per the medications and the routines." He put his hands in his pockets and Misaki was speechless.

"It's not like I—"Misaki started coughing, and couldn't finish her sentence.

"Time to rest, Ayuzawa…" Ayame smiled as she patted her back, "You're going to be just fine" She assured her and she squeezed Tora's hand to reassure him as well. He smiled weakly, they both knew they could do anything but she wouldn't recover if she won't fight herself. They smiled in her direction, she just needed a little push.

 _Yep, a little push._

 **—** **x—**

The morning came earlier than expected for Misaki.

She'd slept peacefully after a long time—thanks to all the medicines and prescription drugs, she felt much better. Her first chemo session had been horrible, obviously. There was a lot of throwing up and cold involved, and she didn't like one moment of it. She'd been on leave for another week and she was more than glad for it, since she got a chance to avoid crossing paths with _him,_ which was bound to happen in office.

But now, she was more than ready.

After an emotional breakdown and some jail-time in the hospital, Misaki had decided to sort out her emotions for good. She had taken the time to grieve about herself, about Cancer, and about Takumi Walker. She had gone through her old things and drawn out the little heart shaped pendant and a ring, she had worn it and cried; and then she had told herself to suck it all up.

She traced the pendant by her fingers as she drove to work after a week. The next chemo session was scheduled fifteen days later and she was allowed to go to work. A few pamphlets and prospectuses of cancer support groups sat in the backseat of her car. Pfft, as if she was ever going to visit them.

But really, the one question she couldn't find the answer to was: Why was Takumi back in her life? Why? Was he bored? Or was he here to entertain himself? She didn't know, and even if it was true, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. The paths of Ayuzawa Misaki and Takumi Walker were separate and she was going to make sure that they didn't cross.

Tora was suspiciously calm about all this.

Whenever she had tried to ask him about this, he would change the subject cunningly or tell her that he didn't know a single thing about it. That his father had proposed the business deal. And Misaki found that very hard to believe.

She reached twenty minutes later, after driving at full speed like a demon. She looked in her car's mirror before getting out. She gawked in horror as she saw a heart shaped necklace calmly resting around her neck. Misaki was mortified. She had been wearing the necklace and the ring since two freaking days and she just noticed it. _Thank god I noticed it!_ She quickly took both of the items off and put them safely in her purse. She didn't want Usui Takumi—Takumi Walker, she corrected herself, to get the wrong ideas. She didn't want to show him that she wanted him back, because she actually didn't, and she was going to make sure that he doesn't get any ideas.

 _Besides, Usui might be married by now for all I know_ , Misaki frowned as the sick feeling crossed her mind. Misaki pinched the bridge of her nose for the nth time and tied her hair into a ponytail. She decided that she was going to maintain a good distance between both of them. She got out of the car and headed to her office.

The sound of clanking of Ayuzawa Misaki's heels soon hung in the air as she walked in the corridors. She walked inside her cabin and found herself swamped with paperwork. There were three piles of paperwork on her desk. She sat down and opened her email. She grumbled. She had a lot of work to do.

She started with emails—she quickly typed the replies and sent them away; even at her speed, it took her three hours. They were facing a business rush and everyone's condition was like Misaki's. Some even worked on weekends to finish the work.

Misaki typed and typed and typed till all the emails were taken care of.

Her next task was the dreadful paperwork. She picked up a pen and started with the first pile. Being the business advisor, Misaki's work mostly consisted of assessing a situation and giving her remark—consent or rejection. Therefore, she had to review each and every paper before putting her signature on it. She tapped her pen as she reviewed the document and paid full attention to the information written on it.

Misaki continued to review the documents and stopped when her fingers stopped co-operating with her. She twisted her neck and wrist, they were hurting from overuse. Misaki glanced down on her wrist watch, it was three pm, which was way past her lunch time. She decided to get up but felt dizzy as soon as she did. She had skipped her breakfast in hurry and forgot to eat her lunch, she dialed Miss Akira's number.

"Hello? Are you free?" Misaki asked.

Miss Akira replied, "Sure, in a few minutes"

"Ok. I'll come to your cabin" Misaki got up and drank some water from her bottle. She headed towards Miss Akira's office which was one floor above her. Misaki walked towards the elevator. She pressed the button and waited for it.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Misaki saw Cedric standing inside. Misaki tried to hide her astonishment as she got inside. She pretended to pay no heed to the person standing next to her and maintained an impassive face. _C-Cedric! The Ninja Butler!_ Misaki roared inside, she'd never thought she would see him again. She was glad to see her floor come as the elevator doors opened up. She freaked out when she called him say her name.

"Miss Ayuzawa. It was nice seeing you,"

Cedric said with a small smile, which disappeared as soon as it flashed on his face. Misaki could only manage a weak smile as she nodded and headed out.

It was so weird! She saw his full face for the first time. He was quite good-looking. It seemed like Cedric was no longer forced to wear awkward clothing and act strange in public. Misaki smiled, Takumi had always been a kind person, no matter how sticky things got, he was rarely cruel to anyone, except for when desperate times called for desperate measures. Misaki smacked her head as she tried to remove her thoughts involving him. She reasoned with herself. After all, if Takumi was actually such a good person, he wouldn't have left her over the phone. If Cedric was here, that bastard was here too—and she had to stay away.

She quickly went to Miss Akira's cabin and found her staring at her computer screen. She greeted Misaki as soon as she felt her come inside.

"Hey, Just gimme a few seconds" Akira said, her eyes fixated on the screen as she typed hastily. Misaki Hn-ed and waited patiently.

"So" Akira looked at her after finishing her work. She took off her glasses and smiled.

"I thought, let's go to eat?" Misaki asked hesitantly.

"Perfect! God! I'm so hungry let's go!" Akira chirped and Misaki smiled.

They decided to head to the office canteen. It was late afternoon and the canteen was almost empty. The found themselves a good seat by the window. Misaki sighed. She needed food.

"So what do you want?" Akira said as she looked at the menu card. Misaki picked up the menu and assessed it. The waitress was by their side in an instant.

"I think I'm gonna take a sandwich and some juice" Misaki said after going through the menu.

"I'm taking noodles and a beer" Akira said to the waitress and they both waited for the food to come.

Misaki eyed her, "Don't get drunk in the office, okay?"

"Geez. It's only Beer. I _wish_ I could get drunk in the office. Let's do that someday" Akira chirped and both of the ladies burst into a fit of giggles.

The waitress soon came with their orders and smiled, "Thank you for waiting, Here's your meal. Enjoy" She placed the food on the table and went off.

Akira looked at the food in glee and dug straight in. Misaki looked at the retreating figure of their waitress and the bow of her apron. She muttered, "That waitress reminds me of myself when I was in high school"

Akira stopped eating, she looked at Misaki, "How?"

"Well" Misaki said, "I used to work part time in a maid café. Things were pretty rough and I needed the money. So yeah" Misaki smiled fondly as she remembered the past days.

"Wow. I can't even imagine you in a maid uniform" Akira kept staring at Misaki, trying to imagine her in a maid uniform.

Misaki took a bite of her sandwich and said, "It was alright. The manager was a good lady and the work was fine too"

"You _have_ to show me a picture of you as a maid!" Akira beamed while Misaki blushed.

"Okay"

They resumed work shortly afterwards. Misaki went to her cabin and moaned. There was one last pile of paperwork left for today. She grabbed her pen and started. _This is nothing_ , and she was lost in her work again.

Misaki wiped her forehead in victory when she reviewed the last document. She signed her name and stretched her arms. She checked her iPhone. She hadn't heard from Tora since Friday. Since she had finished her work early, she decided to head to his cabin.

"Is Mr. Igarashi free?" Misaki asked his secretary as she stood in front of Tora Igarashi's office.

"You can go in" She nodded as she opened the wooden door.

Misaki stepped inside and closed the door behind him. She saw Tora typing on his laptop, as she walked further inside, she found none other than Takumi Walker sitting in a chair reading a document. He had his reading glasses on and was engrossed in his work until Misaki made her presence known by the sound of her heels. Both raised their heads up and Misaki couldn't help but look away. She was beyond embarrassed.

Takumi smiled when he saw her turn her face away. His eyes were on now Misaki, who found great interest in the ceiling at the moment.

"Hey" Tora said, as if he sensed the awkward tension between the two. To this, Misaki replied by tossing him a set of keys.

Tora was startled and barely managed to catch the keys as he growled, "What the hell, were you trying to kill me?"

Takumi smirked and enjoyed the scene unfolding behind him.

Misaki said dryly, "You've gotten slow" She looked away.

"Huh! As if" Tora yelled playfully.

Misaki glared at him. This was freaking awkward for her. As if to ensure her death, Tora's phone buzzed.

"Gotta take this, Make yourself comfortable" He said as he stepped outside in the small balcony.

"Bye" she told Tora and stomped out, ignoring Takumi. Her heart hammered in her chest and she still wasn't used to seeing him like this. She needed time.

"No! Wait!" Tora's voice echoed from behind and Misaki stood dead in her tracks

 _Time which she didn't have._

Misaki was mortified. What was she supposed to do there? She just came back and sat on one of the chairs and smoothened the crease of her dress neatly. She looked around. She looked at the wall, the paintings, the flower vase, the large window, and finally, Takumi Walker.

Their eyes met for a moment, Misaki stared at him. She could not look away. He was sitting comfortably on the chair while his left leg was over his right one, his chin resting on his elbow which was on the table. He had a paper in his other hand. He smiled at her as he looked at her. Misaki's face flushed, it had always been like this, while the entire world was struggling with basic tasks at hand, Takumi Usui sat comfortably and watched the world in distaste. She was so jealous of his composure.

Misaki noted how mature he looked—he wore a black sleeveless waistcoat over a simple white shirt and black pants. His features had gotten more sharp, his jawline more prominent, and his blond hair more golden. He had already been breathtaking in high school and now he was a hotter version of himself. Was it even humanly possible? Misaki sighed, only an alien could become this gorgeous.

"Miss Ayuzawa" He said, his Japanese too fluent even though he had spent such a less time in Japan.

Misaki flushed. _What?_

"It's rude to stare" He smirked, "If you want it, just say it"

Misaki gaped at him, _did he just imply, "IT"?!_ Misaki was angry now, she soon regained her composure.

"Mr. Walker, I don't want your charity. I'm fine with myself. Thank you for asking anyway" She spat challengingly and she looked away.

With that, Takumi was left speechless, once again.

"Misaki" Tora came in after cutting the call. "You're here at perfect timing. I need you on a case" He said as he loosened his tie.

"Sure" Misaki said as she cracked her knuckles and walked towards him.

They managed to work together on a situation.

It was a deal with France and had some complications, Misaki helped Tora assess the state of affairs. Takumi gave some suggestions from time to time and they were acknowledged. There were moments when Misaki's eyes would meet Takumi's and Tora would have to yell at both of them to get the work done. Finally, at ten pm, they finally finished their work. Misaki didn't mind, since she had nothing better to do at home. Tora exhaled as he sat dramatically on his chair. Misaki giggled. He was such a child sometimes.

"Okay, I'm off" She said, half to herself, and half to Tora. Misaki had taken Tora's car today, since she had to return it back to him.

"You came from my car" Tora gaped at her. Takumi only stared.

"Yes. I'm taking the train. Goodbye" Misaki walked away, she didn't want him to fuss over her so much.

"Let me drop you" Tora offered as he ran a hand through his hair.

Misaki said disapprovingly, "You've had a bad day. You need rest. I can take the train"

Takumi interjected, "I can drop her"

Tora nodded, "Sounds logical" He glared at Misaki. She huffed and puffed but wasn't left with a choice. She nodded with a pout.

"Great, now get out of my office" Tora grinned.

"Bastard" Misaki mouthed.

Takumi started to walk towards the elevator, when Misaki didn't follow, he turned around and asked her, "Coming?"

"Y-Yes" She said awkwardly as she walked over towards him.

They patiently waited for the elevator and when it opened, Takumi waited for Misaki to walk in first, being the gentleman that she assumed he had always had been. Misaki got in without a word.

Awkward.

Misaki stared at the mirror which was embedded in the elevator wall. She looked at her reflection, she looked pale. Misaki knew that elevator rides were awkward if you were stuck with one person. But, elevator rides were mortifying when you were stuck with your ex-boyfriend. She stared at both of their reflections. He was easily at least a foot taller than her. She pouted.

"You didn't eat properly" Takumi stated matter-of-factly as he too stared at their reflection. He now looked at Misaki's reflection.

"Excuse me?" Misaki glared, _the nerve of this man! I will eat whatever I want, however I want!_

Takumi turned around and faced her, "You heard me" Misaki stared back.

The elevator doors opened up, as if saving her from further embarrassment. _Lifesaver_ , Misaki sighed.

They were met by Cedric shortly later. Takumi looked at him, "I'm going out. You're excused"

Cedric gaped at him, "But—"

Takumi interjected in a firm tone, "I said, you're excused"

Knowing that resistance is futile, Cedric bowed and retreated. Misaki looked at his declining figure. Things were so different now, she remembered how Takumi couldn't shrug him off when Misaki had visited his apartment once. She had gotten him apples, only to meet Gerard. They hadn't gotten a single moment of privacy thanks to Cedric spying on them. And now, Cedric didn't even have the guts to argue back. She looked at Takumi's back, he had changed.

Misaki couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by Takumi. Time changed everyone, maybe time had changed him too? She walked closely behind, maintaining a safe distance in between them. No matter what, he was still her boss (indirectly).

He opened the doors for her and she got in. She felt so nervous. Why was she sitting in his car anyway? She couldn't help but feel awkward. It wasn't every day you saw your boss drop you home. She sat quietly, careful not to touch anything. She told him the directions while he drove silently. Misaki looked outside. They were so far apart, even if they were sitting within inches of distance. Misaki felt like crying. She was thinking too much these days. He wasn't even into her and here she was thinking about him almost all the time.

The society where she lived in came into view and Misaki took off her seatbelt. She fidgeted. She told him where her unit was and he stopped when they reached. He got out of the car and opened the door for her. She awkwardly got out. He followed her till her apartment door, much to her displeasure.

Misaki breathed a sigh as she unlocked the door of her apartment. She looked at Takumi and said, "Thank you for dropping me. Would you like to come inside?" she asked him in a very formal tone.

"Some other day. Good night" Takumi said as he ran a hand through his hair. Misaki nodded and kept standing at the door. She thought how handsome he looked. He raised an eyebrow, and turned to leave when he didn't get a reaction.

Misaki shut the door behind her. She pressed her back against the door once she was inside and slowly sat with her back against the door as she brought her legs up her chest and hugged them in an attempt to calm her racing heart. She put her head down on her knees and tears started to flow.

 **Hard chapter to write, sure gave me a lot of mixed feelings. Comment upon the title of the chapter. Does Takumi wreck Misa? Or does Misa wreck Tora?**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Perspective**

 _Even though you've hurt me from time to time,_

 _Even though you've torn me apart from side to side,_

 _I won't even deny that I'd still give myself to you—selflessly, pathetically, passionately, happily,_

 _I guess that I have loved you so much that the self-love which I had for myself, has vanished with the tears that I've shed for you._

 _(MissKirei)_

"Thank you for dropping me. Would you like to come inside?" Takumi heard Misaki say. She was being so formal to him. It annoyed him to no end. It was like they were complete strangers. He frowned. It was like she had created some invisible line in between them. She acted too cautiously around him. He was angry. While yes he hadn't expected her to welcome him with open arms, he hadn't expected her to act so…distant either. He knew the distance was killing her too, but she kept enduring it.

"Some other day. Good night" Takumi turned around. He didn't feel welcomed at all and felt that if he stayed even a minute longer, his presence would strangle her. She wasn't comfortable around him at all. He turned around to leave. He found her still standing frozen. It was like she was so lost in her own thoughts. He raised an eyebrow, what was she thinking? She didn't react at all. He started walking towards the elevator and she closed the door.

Takumi stopped as soon as the door close. He felt her muffled cry. It was almost inaudible. Takumi froze where he was standing. He would have preferred getting shot instead. He wanted to open the damn door and comfort her. He wanted to kiss her tears away. But it was all too soon. She had created an invisible wall in between them and Takumi had to break down the wall first. He had vowed to make up for the mistakes he made. He put his hands inside his pockets and took the stairs instead.

He unlocked his car and kept staring at her apartment window from down. He leaned against his car and stood there, with his hands in his pockets. He had to figure her out first. He had to mend what he broke. He knew that it was a possibility that Misaki wouldn't even want him now, he still wanted to make her happy. After that, if Misaki didn't want him, he'd happily leave. But all that was too far away right now.

 _Wasn't life just plainly unfair?_

Misaki hugged her knees as she thought about what all they could have had if things hadn't turned out to be the way they did. _Why did he leave me? Was I not good enough? Why is he back? What does he want with me?_ She buried her face in her hands as flashbacks of the past came haunting her. She remembered being actually happy once in her life. Why did that happiness seem so…so far away now?

She had foolishly believed that Takumi would come back one day. He'd come back and say how sorry he was and she'd punch him a little and yell, but she would accept him. _You were supposed to be my saving grace, Takumi…_ for the first time ever, she had finally accepted the fact that she was still living in her past. She was still the same hopeful girl he had made her when she fell for him. And god knew she hated herself for being so emotionally weak.

The next week, Misaki was more than ready to take on the world. She had woken up early, gone for a refreshing walk, eaten her medicines like a meal, and gotten ready for work on time. She checked herself in the mirror—she didn't look half shabby with a red jacket over a black pencil skirt. The cold was finally starting to settle in and she was glad. These jackets and sweaters made her look at least half human. She had definitely lost a lot of weight even with the chemo and balanced diets but winter clothes made her look less pale.

There was a lot going on at work front, Misaki had missed out on a lot but when she came to office, she realized how everyone else was swamped with work. She did feel guilty about the fact that someone else had to cover up for her while she rested on hospital beds and loathed her life. She picked up a pen and tied her hair—this wasn't the time to mull over things, she was all set to start!

Around noon, Misaki was interjected by a Skype call. It was Tora.

"Hey. Thanks for yesterday" Misaki said as she thought about their dinner the night before as soon as she picked up the call. Frankly, things were more than normal between them now, the kiss was forgotten, and they were back to being friends.

"It's okay. Can you drop by my office?" He said seriously.

Misaki sensed his stress and nodded, "Be there in a minute"

Misaki cut off the call and headed out to his office. She walked inside without asking his secretary and closed the door behind her. His office was messed up. She found him sitting on the side sofa which faced the large window. She noted that his 'business partner' was nowhere in sight and Misaki couldn't help but feel glad.

"So" She said as she took a seat next to him.

"Yeah, A moment" He checked his phone repeatedly. He looked really stressed out.

Their attention was diverted to the door which flung open as soon as Takumi Walker stepped in. He had his sleeves rolled, his hair were messed up too. He spoke as soon as he shut the door, "So, I got here as soon as I could. What's wrong?" Takumi ran a hand through his hair. He almost didn't notice Misaki sitting next to Tora. His stress levels dropped as soon as he saw her and a smile crept up his face.

Tora put his phone away and looked at him, "I've to go to Spain. There has been a problem and Dad has asked one of us to go" He looked at Misaki, "But since Takumi is new here, I thought it was better I went. In the meantime, Takumi can get acquainted here. Misaki, I want you to help him acclimatize. You have a good knowledge of the Japanese market so you'll be a great help" Tora's phone buzzed again and he went outside, "Gotta take this."

Misaki looked at him. What was with the market these days? They already had a lot of work and on top of that the CEO was personally called to settle affairs. Misaki glanced at Takumi, She was stuck with him for some days now. She mentally face palmed. The more she tried to stay away, the more she felt like she was drawing closer to him.

Tora came inside, "So I was saying, Misaki, it would be best if you shifted things here or in Takumi's office. It would waste less time. I'm leaving in an hour. I think I'll be back by Saturday" He glanced at Misaki, as if reminding her of her doctor's appointment, "But it might take more time too. I don't know" Tora exhaled.

"Okay, Take care" Misaki looked at him worriedly. He was right, if two people were working on the same thing, it was better to work in the same place instead of working separately. Teamwork always gave the best of results.

Tora picked up his things from his table and gave both of them a small smile, "I'm off. Take care and Good luck working together." Tora grinned, Misaki wanted to punch him into oblivion. She hadn't gotten much time to talk to him as work was driving him crazy. She had a few questions for him, like what the fuck is Takumi Walker doing in Japan? Misaki pouted, she could pummel him later on. She waved him off with a smile and Tora exited the office in a hurry.

Misaki was left with a much stressed Takumi. She looked at him, he needed rest too. Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Misaki mumbled, "So I guess I'll get back to work. Do you want me to move my stuff today?"

"It would be for the best" Takumi managed to say, he looked at her, "Do you know where my office is?"

Misaki thought for a moment, "I don't"

Takumi nodded, "Let's go to your cabin then. We'll go to my office after picking up your things"

"N-No!" Misaki freaked out, she said after Takumi gave her a weird look, "I mean, I'll come here with my stuff in five minutes. I can't have my boss carry my things around the office" Misaki said the last part mostly to herself. Regardless, she earned a small chuckle from Takumi, "Fine. I won't carry your things. At least let me tag along, save yourself the trip back here. My office is not in this building."

"Okay" Misaki managed to say.

Misaki walked awkwardly while Takumi trailed closely behind. She couldn't help but feel that everyone was staring at her. She even heard some mumblings.

 _"_ _Is that the hot guy from Britain?"_

 _"_ _Oh my gosh why is he walking behind her like that?"_

 _"_ _Are they going out?"_

 _"_ _They should get a room"_

 _"_ _I thought she was dating Mr. Igarashi? What a gold digger"_

 _"_ _She left Mr. Igarashi as soon as Mr. Walker came to Japan. Poor him"_

 _"_ _The sexual tension is killing me"_

 _"_ _What does she have that I don't?"_

 _"_ _That guy is so fucking sexy, I'd love to hit that"_

 _"_ _She's a lucky one, having two rich CEOs around her finger"_

Misaki couldn't help but become flustered with every step she took. She was so angry that she wanted to shout at them and tell the truth. But she didn't; she just walked with her head up. They didn't know the truth but she did, and that was what mattered, right?

She felt Takumi's footsteps come to a halt and she turned around. She found him raise an eyebrow at her. She turned back and walked towards her office. She noticed that the whispers had strangely stopped. The atmosphere got eerie and everyone looked scared. She exhaled a deep breath and opened her cabin. He got inside wordlessly.

"Just give me a moment" She muttered as she started to grab her things. She took her laptop in one hand and hung her sling bag on her shoulder. She took a few files and headed out. Takumi kept silent as he saw her hold everything and maintain her balance. With that, they both got out of the office.

Misaki mouthed a "Hello" to Akira who was standing outside, in the parking lot. Akira winked at her when she saw Takumi standing near her. Misaki pouted, as if saying "Not you too!" Akira only giggled as she waved her bye.

Takumi opened the door of his car for Misaki, it was a black BMW. She awkwardly got inside, barely managing to keep her balance with the things she had in her hands. She regained her posture and Takumi started the car.

The Walker Corporation wasn't very far from Misaki's office. She wondered why she had never seen it before. Perhaps the office had just been made since they joined forces with Igarashi Corp. Misaki looked around, it had a similar campus like her company; large infrastructure and business like environment. Takumi got out of the car and opened the door for Misaki. The duo were soon approached by at least five men in black suits. Misaki only recognized one—Cedric.

She walked behind Takumi, who was currently talking to his secretary. She was a middle aged woman with long brown hair and hazel eyes. She had a very good figure, Misaki looked at her; compared to her, Misaki was a stick. She found out from their conversation that her name was Hinata. Takumi talked to her in a very professional tone. Misaki couldn't help but notice the longing look in Hinata's eyes. Misaki deduced, she was infatuated by him too. _But then, who wasn't?_ Misaki shoved her thoughts into a corner.

"Very well Mr. Walker" Hinata walked away after finishing her conversation with Takumi, who paid no heed to her existence _. Perhaps he was already in a relationship, that's why he didn't care about how women looked at him?_ He turned around and looked at Misaki, who only got startled by the gesture. He gave her a small smile and motioned for her to come along. Misaki walked behind him.

They took the private elevator and Misaki felt the same tension which she did when they both shared the elevator for the first time. She stared down at her heels to avoid the awkwardness.

When they reached his office, Cedric was already standing by the door. _Ninja skills_ , Misaki thought. He opened the door for them and Takumi got inside, Misaki followed suit.

His office was huge. Misaki looked around in curiosity. It had a large table in the center with a huge glass window in its back, which showed a great view of the city. There was an adjoining restroom and a large balcony. A normal sized couch had been placed in next to the door. A glass table was also kept there, a flower vase was kept over it.

Takumi looked at Misaki. She was observing his office. He looked at her holding so many things in her small hands. He had wanted to carry her stuff, but she didn't want him to. He now realized why, people talked. He had noticed how everyone had been gossiping about her. He felt really angry. No one had the right to say such mean lies about her. If he hadn't stopped and glared at everyone, God knows what all they would have said. He cleared one of his study tables for her. It was fixed in the wall on the right side of his own table. He took all the books that were kept on the table and put it in a drawer.

Misaki placed her laptop on the study table which Takumi cleared for her. She looked at the huge pile of books he shoved into one of his drawers. _God, this man can read_ , she thought to herself. Misaki placed her files next to her laptop. The table wasn't as big as the one she had in her cabin, but it was enough for her. She placed her sling bag there and sighed. Now she had to manage her own work and work together on Takumi's work too. She pinched the bridge of her nose— _this is going to be annoying_.

"It's nice" Misaki said out of the blue, "Your office, it's nice" She finished. Takumi looked in her direction and smiled, "Thanks"

Takumi felt good. He had managed to spend some time with Misaki wordlessly without pissing her off. He looked forward to the time he had with her. Today was Wednesday and Tora was to come till Saturday. It wasn't much but it was enough for him, for now.

Misaki got back to work as soon as she put her stuff on the table. She had asked one of the peons there to drop by her paperwork. There was no way in hell she would have been able to carry huge piles of papers to his office. It would have been awkward. Misaki heard the door open when she saw a familiar face from Igarashi drop her papers.

"Thank you so much" She mouthed with a smile as the man placed her papers on top of her desk. Takumi raised an eyebrow, _how much work did she do in a day?_ She was always like this, hardworking and dedicated. He smiled as he looked at her tie her hair up and pick up her pen. He smirked, he was going to enjoy having such a good distraction in his office. And the best part? She was sitting next to him within inches of distance. He stared at his laptop, she was indeed a sight hard to look away from.

 **||READ||REVIEW||FAVORITE||FOLLOW||**

 **Author's babbling corner:**

Okay, meh. This chapter felt more or less like a filler that would set base for the future. I thought it was kind of boring but oh well. I've been having a writer's block on this particular story for a long time now, that's why I didn't update (In case you all were wondering). Anyway, I'll update this soon.

 **Send me ideas:** so that it would help me with this particular story. I'm just all over the place with APOF, idk, maybe I've been away from it too much that's why. But I won't give up, I know you guys love this story.

 **WHAT WILL BE THE FINAL PAIRING FOR A PROMISE OF FOREVER, IS IT A TORAXMISA OR TAKUMIXMISA?**

Okay, I read and re-read the previous reviews. Just want to clarify that I'm neither pissed off nor offended. Criticism is welcomed as always. But, that does not mean that I will change the ending of this particular story just because a similar story ended up being TAKUMIxMISAKI. Also, I'd already written the base of this story in March, but I decided to delete all future chapters and start from scratch. I have many endings planned in my mind. I think the pairing in the end will be decided on the spot. I'm just going with the flow.

 **Regarding the fact that A promise of forever matches with Natsu-no-sora's "Back To Me"**

I have read the story a few years ago, I think it was when it was ongoing. It's a great piece of work but I do think APOF differs from it, in some ways. Anyway, I will not consider putting TAKUxMISA off the desk just because it happened in Back To Me.

I think that the main thing that I want to be a constant in the story is that real life is rarely made up of rainbows and happy endings. So, don't hate me guys but I want this story to shape itself instead of putting restrictions on it because of another story.

 **About the title of this chapter:** Perspective varies from person to person. Exactly like in this chapter, two sides of the same story were revealed, like what Takumi thinks and what Misaki thought. What people thought and what actually was the truth. So I thought " _Perspective"_ was a fitting name.

What did you guys think about the quote I put in the beginning? I felt like it applied both on Misaki, Tora and Takumi. It's all about PERSPECTIVE. (Did you see that? see that? See what I did there? Huh? Huh? HA! I'm so sssmmarrttt! *puts sunglasses on* WHAT UP Chapter title reference? XD).

 **See ya! Much Love! (:**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Perfect sense**

 _Lately, I've been lost in the sound of our memories._

 _I've been lost in the visions of you and me_

 _you got me thinking, what makes the perfect sense?_

 _Should I become the best thing you never had?_

 _And deny that you're the best thing I've ever had?_

 _or_

 _Should I give you another chance, to wreck me all over again?_

 _What makes the perfect sense, I wonder?_

 _What makes the perfect sense?_

 _(Miss_Kirei)_

 **Barcelona, Spain:**

The dark liquid swirled as he walked inside the bar. Tora stared at its contents blankly as he sat down on one of the high bar stools and drank the entire thing down in a gulp. He placed the glass back with sheer force on the counter that it started to shake. The bartender looked at the man worriedly—he didn't want to deal with another drunkard at 2AM in the morning, it was bad enough that he was stuck in a night shift.

"Master." Maki smiled as he bowed down respectfully before Tora, who acknowledged the said man with a shake of his head as he looked at the bartender "It's not strong enough."

Maki had his signature smile plastered on his face but deep down inside he was truly worried about his master. He'd been drinking ever since he arrived in Spain. He worried that if this continued any longer, Tora was sure to get sick.

Tora gulped down the alcohol with a sigh as he felt the burn down his throat, "Good, keep it that way." He told the bartender with a bitter smile. Maki bowed again as he addressed his master.

"Master, I reckon you should retire for the day. Tomorrow we have a packed schedule."

"Will you control what I do now?" Tora asked as he cocked his head to the side with a toothy smile. Maki stilled and he apologized, "My apologies, I am just worried."

"Don't be" Tora yawned "Nothing is going to happen to me, this is like water." He laughed, "I need my water tonight."

"If you don't mind me asking, is there any special reason?" Maki asked softly.

"Sit with me, Maki." Tora said as he waved a drunk hand towards the man, urging him to sit down. Maki sat down on the floor instead. Tora smirked as he pulled him by the collars "Don't be fucking ridiculous. You're not my slave."

"As you wish, master." Maki smiled as he sat down next to Tora, on another bar stool. Tora bought him a drink as he continued to drink too.

"Don't call me master. Call me your friend, Maki. I need…" Tora drank his bourbon "…I think I need a friend tonight."

"Anything for you, Tora-san." Maki smiled awkwardly as he sipped red wine.

"Call me Tora damn it." Tora grinned as he placed the glass on the table. A few girls sat down next to him to catch attention, but he ignored them all.

"Ah,—okay… T-Tora." The name felt strange to his own voice as Maki addressed Tora informally. Tora laughed out loud, "There you have it." Maki smiled sadly as he saw a broken smile on Tora's face.

"Why did you call him?" Maki asked when his mind was overcome with worry and sadness. Tora remained silent as he drank unceremoniously. Maki urged further, "If you knew…why would you call him back to Japan?"

No response.

"Why would you give away your happiness? To him. To someone you hated?" Maki sighed, he just couldn't understand how a self-centered person like Tora could do something so selfless. How could he give her up to someone he hated?

"Because…" _because she was never mine to begin with…_ Tora trailed off as he stared at his almost empty glass with tired-red eyes. He laughed, _how could he explain something he didn't understand himself?_

"My apologies if I am wrong, but, why would you do that? When you know how much he had hurt Miss Ayuzawa a lot…why?"

Tora threw the glass of alcohol on the mirror placed behind the bar. The bartender froze in his spot as the glass almost missed and the mirror broke down into large shards. Maki stood up from his seat as he inspected Tora's fist.

Several attendants came out with first aid but Tora waved them off, "You don't understand."

"You would never leave her, like he did. That's all I know."

"But" Tora smiled as he looked at Maki, whose eyes widened, "Because she can never love me the way she loves him." He looked away as he stood up dizzily, Maki walked behind him as he instructed the attendants to clean up the mess.

"Watch your step!" Maki said as he saved Tora from almost falling, Tora pushed him away and laughed "I can never make her happy the way that bastard can. That's why…Maki. That's why."

"Why would you be so unsure of yourself? I'm sure you can win Miss Ayuzawa over easily I—"

" _You don't under_ -hic _-stand_ _M-Maki_ " Tora's lips quivered as he leaned against the elevator glass and ran a hand through his hair. Maki pressed the floor and the elevator started to move. Tora laughed looking at himself pathetically. _How unfair was this love?_

"No…its not unfair" Tora mumbled out loud as Maki stared at him in confusion. He couldn't understand a single thing as Tora laughed and banged his fist against the mirror.

"It's perfectly fair." Tora looked at Maki as he held the collars of his shirt and laughed maniacally "It makes the perfect sense! After all the bad things I've done…" He mumbled as Maki struggled to breathe due to the strong grip Tora had on his neck. "Of course! How could I not see it?!" He cocked his head to the side as he smiled.

"Makes…perfect" Tora's grip loosened and Maki could breathe. He looked at Tora slide down on the floor with a laugh "Perfect…sense…" he breathed as he passed down on the floor, leaving a stunned Maki standing stiffly with his shirt collar drenched in blood.

"What makes perfect sense?" Maki wondered out loud as he picked Tora up and took him to his suite.

 **Tokyo, Japan:**

Misaki woke up dizzily. She cracked an eye open and the moment she sat up, the entire world was spinning. She sighed as she searched her drawers on the night stand for the medicines.

This was the downside of chemo, she felt weakness and nausea very often; having to eat a lot of pills thrice a day was no fun either. She sat up as she downed the damn pills and got up to get ready for the day.

Tora had left for Spain yesterday for some business related work and she had to head to the Walker Corporation whose headquarters had just been opened in Japan with Takumi as the CEO. Her life was one huge rollercoaster ride filled with medicines and emotions and weaknesses. All the three things she had begun to loathe. But she kept her head high and fought on.

She still hadn't told her parents about anything, because she didn't want them to be crushed with the pain. She knew that they were sure to find about it sooner or later. But she preferred if they found out as late as possible. It would hurt, yes, but it would be better than feeling small amounts of pain every single day, living with the anticipation and hope that one day their daughter will be cured. She thought, that it was better to cry for an entire day then to cry every single day.

Misaki shook her head, now was not the time to be gloomy. She had a hard day ahead of her. Hell, she didn't know how she would ignore Usui Takumi now that they were sharing the same workspace. She vowed to stay out of his way. She wanted to know him as less as possible, as it would only create complications for her own self.

She was going to mind her own business.

And he better do that too.

Whatever had happened, she figured, happened for the best. There was no use dwelling over it again and again. And besides, if he had moved on with his life with that annoying smirk on his face—so could she.

Misaki managed to reach her new temporary office on time. She went inside and said hello to Takumi's secretary. She fake smiled back, leaving Misaki a very good feeling that Hinata didn't like her at all. She opened the door and went inside. She shut the door behind her and muttered "Good Morning" plainly and sat on her chair. Takumi was sitting on his own chair casually sipping his cup of tea. He mouthed a "good morning" to her. Misaki only nodded and opened up her laptop.

He was as punctual as ever, she had noted. He had even reached before herself. She wondered how much of him changed?

She shook her head, now was not the time!

Misaki was glad her table faced the wall. If she sat facing Takumi, she was sure that she wouldn't be able to get any work done. She opened her emails and checked her agenda which was forwarded by Tora's secretary. She looked up at Takumi, "So we have a meeting around 12pm with Azalea" Misaki looked at her schedule thoughtfully. Haruhi, her old friend from Azalea was coming too. She smiled, she hadn't seen her in ages.

Takumi nodded. He barely registered what she said. He was too busy looking at her. She wore a simple black pencil skirt and a peach top inside a striped jacket. She looked so feminine. He had never imagined he would live to see the day when Ayuzawa Misaki wore something other than a sweat shirt and jeans. She looked amazing to him. She had her hair up in a ponytail. He wanted to take off her hair tie and run a hand through her raven tresses. He pouted.

"Are you even listening?" Misaki asked as she glared at him.

Takumi replied "Yeah. Sorry. Just remembered something"

Misaki looked away. She had work to do. She started replying her mails and picked up a document. She drowned in her work just like she used to do before.

Takumi looked up at his watch, it was time for some meeting with some company. He was bored. He didn't want to go to some meeting with some company. He wanted to spend time in her company instead. He pouted. He couldn't concentrate on his work.

Misaki got up with a file in her hand. She raised an eyebrow when she saw him space out. It was uncharacteristic of him. Takumi Usui always completed his work before anyone even started. He wasn't himself today. He barely touched his work. Misaki finally asked him, "You okay?"

"Are you worried about me?" He teased.

Misaki went silent all of a sudden, she mumbled, "No… Well, we have a meeting to attend" She walked out of his office. Damn him. Misaki put on a fake smile and went to the conference room.

"Misaki-san! It's so great to see you. I didn't know you joined Walker" Haruhi said in her ever so cheerful voice, she reminded Misaki of Sakura.

"No, I'm in Igarashi. I'm here on business." Misaki said as she smiled.

"Hai! Let's word hard together ne!" Haruhi said as they both smiled and sat down. The CEO of Azalea arrived shortly afterwards. They all waited for Takumi to show up, who came late.

Formal greetings were exchanged and Takumi maintained a professional smile. He might have fooled the entire world but he didn't fool Misaki. He was bored as fuck. Misaki glared at him, as if saying "Be nice" He smirked and shook hands with the other CEO.

The meeting went as Misaki planned. Things were smooth and Takumi was accepted with welcoming hands by Azalea. They invited him to a fundraiser event in honor of him coming back to Japan. He nodded with a smile telling that he would drop by.

The meeting went on till lunch time and Misaki's stomach growled. She let out a frustrated moan as she signed her name on yet another document. She had so much work to do, it was driving her insane.

"I know a good place just nearby" Takumi muttered as he enjoyed looking at her annoyed face. She looked in his direction and glared. _What is his problem?_ Misaki gritted her teeth as she picked up her purse. Takumi chuckled as he grabbed his car keys.

They went to a nearby restaurant which was famous for its sushi. Takumi ordered for both of them and they sat on a table. Misaki got some juice and slurped it using a straw. Takumi couldn't help but chuckle.

When Misaki felt a pair of eyes staring at her, she stopped slurping her beloved juice. She looked at Takumi who sniggered in response. Misaki quickly looked away.

"Oy" Takumi called in Misaki's direction. She glanced at him. He said, "Food's here"

Misaki nodded, "Oh"

They both ate in silence. Misaki tried to concentrate on her food and not on the alien sitting before her. He always made her nervous and self-conscious. What was he doing in Japan anyway? She had so many questions in her mind but decided to shut her mouth instead; she had no rights to ask him personal questions. He was just her boss, and her best friend's friend. That was it.

The sushi was delicious. Misaki enjoyed her meal thoroughly. Pleased with her meal, she placed money with the bill, much to Takumi's displeasure. As they were heading back to the office, Takumi looked at her all of a sudden and said, "Say, are you seeing someone?"

Misaki's face flushed. Why was he asking her such a personal question? They weren't even friends! She muttered after spacing out, "Not at the moment"

"Okay" He looked at her sincerely.

Misaki looked at him, "What about you?" She felt like she could ask him that much. Didn't he too?

"Nope" He said.

They walked towards his car and Misaki got inside wordlessly. So he wasn't seeing anyone. Maybe he liked someone already? Misaki had realized that not many people were like her. All of her friends dated casually and changed boyfriends like clothes. Misaki sighed, she could never do that. She thought, maybe Usui liked someone too? That would explain why he never looked twice at a woman no matter how many around him had a crush on him.

She looked out. Time changed people. Did time change her too? She always felt like she was the same person as before. Except that a few things had changed, like she wasn't as violent as before and had to wear feminine clothes because of her work. The rest had been the same.

They reached his office shortly afterwards. Misaki pressed the up button of the elevator and waited. The doors opened. She mentally face palmed. It was fucking empty. Things were already awkward for them She didn't want tempting elevator rides to add to the effect damn it!

They got inside wordlessly. Misaki looked anywhere except his face. She looked up when she heard him say her name.

"Misaki" Takumi said and Misaki turned red. This was the first time he had called her with her name after the gala. She looked at him questioningly. In a flash, she found herself cornered by his arms. Her back was against the elevator wall and there was practically no escape. He looked at her with a very serious face. It freaked her out to no end. When Misaki was busy spacing out, he had pressed the stop button. They were literally in the middle of nowhere.

She looked at him as she pressed her hands on his chest in an attempt to push him away, but failed miserably. He was too strong, his stone hard chest was the testimony of that. She managed to say as her face heated up. "What do you want?" He was way too close for her liking. _Fucking elevator_ , she growled.

"What do I want?" He looked at her face as he removed one arm from her side. He took out her hair tie which had her hair in their place, causing her hair to fall down. He was satisfied now, she looked beyond beautiful to him.

Misaki looked away as her hair fell on her face. She was literally trapped with him. She wanted to kiss him and kill him at the same time. She looked away as she tried to ignore the spark of passion which had just been ignited.

"Misaki look at me" He said sternly, she couldn't help but obey. She looked at him and felt like she was going to die. Her heart was beating too fast and it had nothing to do with her illness.

"What I want from you" He touched a strand of hair and reveled in its softness, He continued to say, "Is one. Last. Chance." He said as he let her hair go. He looked at her with a sincere look in his eyes, "I'll wait for your answer" He said as he removed his hand away, and ran a hand through his hair.

Misaki was too stunned to notice that the elevator started working again. The doors opened and Takumi Walker stepped out. His face blank as he talked to his secretary with Misaki's hair tie wound around his wrist.

Takumi left a very shocked Misaki in the elevator. She pressed some random button and the doors closed. What the fuck just happened? He wanted her back now? Oh this is good. _First you leave me using a shitty phone call then you just barge back in my life when you find out that I'm single?_ Misaki mumbled as she wiped her tears away from her cheeks. She got out on some random floor and headed to the ladies' room.

She tried to maintain a stoic face as she walked with her head held high. She didn't attract much attention as she closed the door behind her and stared at her reflection inside the washroom mirror.

He wanted one last chance from her, she gritted her teeth. "One last chance" She spoke the words as more tears flowed from her eyes. _Why?_ Was she just a means of entertainment to him? He knew what kind of power he held over her and he just showed her the extent of his power. She couldn't even move when he called out her name. He had her spell bound. She splashed some water over her eyes. She really didn't know what to do. She looked up in the mirror as she ran a hand through her hair. She didn't have anything to tie them, so she just pulled them sideward.

She knew that she was a mess around him, but she also knew that she was worse when he wasn't around. The last six years had taught her that much. What was she going to do? Was she going to throw away one last chance that she had with him? Or was she going to accept him back just wishing every day that she doesn't find herself left alone all of a sudden? It was true that she didn't trust him now. She didn't trust men anymore, except Tora. He leaving her just increased her hatred more. But, it was also true that there was nobody else she would rather trust.

She had so many conflicts inside her mind. She knew this was bound to happen someday—she had to face her feelings for Takumi and decide whether she was going to move on or accept what she had. Now was the time to make a choice, and she couldn't have been more clueless.

Misaki brought her hand up and stared at it.

She slapped herself.

She splashed more water on her face and dried it using a napkin. And she did what she always did, she hid her pain underneath a layer of foundation and lipstick.

Misaki went back to work cautiously. She opened the door only to find it empty, much to her relief. She didn't know how she would have stayed in the same room as him. She opened up her laptop and began her work. She typed furiously till her fingers ached and stopped around six. She looked at her wrist watch. It was time she headed out. She used her pen to support her hair into a bun and started to pack her things.

After three hours of working non-stop, Misaki fought hard to stifle her yawn. She pressed her forehead on the table she currently worked on. Her tired eyes closed as she forgot the world. Her mind spun and she shut herself off from this torturous world, if only for a couple of moments.

Takumi walked inside the room as he found her napping. He was careful about not waking her up. At least he could admire from afar. He was reminded of the times he had done the same back in high school. Things were better back in those days. She acted like she hated him back then, but now she actually hated him.

He moved towards her and took off the pen that held her hair up in a bun. The long tresses cascaded down and Misaki flinched. Takumi's eyes widened as he walked back. He wondered how he would he explain his behavior if she woke up?

But she didn't.

He stood by the doorframe and leaned on it as he crossed his arms. He looked at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry…" he mumbled as he ran a hand through his hair.

She hadn't noticed when Takumi had got inside and started to do his own work. When Misaki stood up to leave, she saw him working on his computer. She almost screamed in fear as if she just saw a ghost. Misaki exhaled a breath when she found out it was only Takumi. She sat down again and took out her iPhone to dial Akira's number.

"Hey. I was wondering if you forgot me already, since you found your prince charming" Akira teased as soon as she picked up the phone.

Misaki blushed, she didn't want to disturb Takumi. She talked lowly into her phone, "Nothing like that. Are you free? Let's go out"

"Let's go to the club!" Akira cheered, "I'm getting bored and Friday's too far"

Misaki chuckled, "Friday is tomorrow"

"Tomorrow never comes" Akira said with a smirk.

Misaki face palmed, why did she always get stuck with weird friends, or was she the weird one? She mumbled slowly, "Okay, but let's not get too much drunk, okay? I'll come by to your office. Meet me outside."

"Okay" Akira chirped and cut the call. Misaki stood up and grabbed her bag. She glanced in Takumi's direction, he was busy. She didn't want to disturb him. So she quietly got out of his office and closed the door without a sound. With that, she was gone.

What Misaki knew was that Takumi's eyes were glued to his computer screen. What Misaki didn't know was that his ears were already at her service. He took off his reading glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. She was going out to get drunk with a friend. Takumi frowned as he remembered the crazy drunk state of Misaki from high school. He didn't want her to do something silly and cry about it later on. She was going to be the death of him. He continued typing for an hour at most and sighed when he couldn't concentrate. His heart had already been with Misaki since the start, but now it felt as if she took his brains along too. He ran a hand through his hair and picked up his car keys. He knew what he was doing was utterly stupid but it was better than spacing out when he was supposed to be working.

Misaki stared at Tora's picture in her phone blankly as tears formed in her eyes and fell down on the screen of her mobile phone. Hadn't she so proudly kissed him? She didn't know what to think anymore. She decided, for once in her life, that she was going to disregard everything and just enjoy the night.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Don't think, just do it.**

 **"** **You know what is the worst? Denial. Living in denial is like letting your pain make you hollow inside with a bright smile on the outside. Don't live in denial. Accept things as they are, and then do something about it. Don't think, just do it."**

 **||MissKireiUchiha||**

Misaki gave Akira a skeptical look, who was right now bouncing up and down. Misaki tried to calm her down and gave her a bottle of water. They had been standing in the parking lot of Igarashi corp.

Misaki earned a scowl from Akira, "What the hell Misaki! We are young! We need to have fun! Do you wanna die a boring woman?" Akira continued yelling and Misaki smiled sheepishly.

Akira was right, Misaki didn't want to die a boring woman. Besides, she was quite sure now that her death was almost at her doorstep. She decided, it was better to die after living a fun filled life rather than dying boring. She raised her fist in the air. Akira wound her arm around her waist and both yelled, "Let's go dancing!"

A few people raised an eye when they saw both of the girls yell out like maniacs. They weren't even drunk yet and were already acting like manics. Akira pouted, "We are wearing shitty boring clothing" She pointed at her and Misaki's formal attire.

Misaki nodded, she was right. They _were_ wearing shitty clothes. Misaki quickly unlocked her car, "Get inside. We are going shopping. NOW!" Misaki yelled enthusiastically. She needed to get her mind off how shitty her life was currently, she drove at full speed scaring the pedestrians in the process.

"Whooo! I didn't know you could be fun" Akira said playfully.

"Watch me" Misaki said, as she skipped the red lights. She was sure that she was going to get a ticket if she drove rash, so, she decided to play coy instead. She took off her seat belt, earning a loud cheer from Akira, and got into her demon mode.

They reached the mall in five minutes, thanks to Misaki's driving. They almost got caught by police, but Misaki was smart; she drove the car in small alleys which led them straight to the mall in five minutes. Misaki took off her blazer. There was no way she wasn't having fun tonight.

Akira and Misaki walked inside the mall, they saw various shops, from winter wear to formal, and all they saw was boring clothing. Akira quickly spotted a shop and yelled, "There!" Misaki quickly scanned the perimeter and spotted a quirky shop which sold glittering shit—perfect.

Misaki stopped in her tracks, "Wait" She put her hand on Akira's shoulder, who was skipping happily towards the store.

"What? Don't tell me you changed your mind" Akira pouted.

Misaki laughed, "No way. I stopped you because, when they see us dressed as professionals, they'll increase the price and show us boring clothing. So we need to look like teenagers first" Misaki showed Akira her thumb.

Akira looked at her with an innocent face, "How?"

Misaki summoned her inner Aoi-Chan, "Come with me" They walked to the ladies' room, Misaki locked it from inside and set down her purse near the wash basin.

"We need to look like stupid teenagers" Misaki looked at her and Akira's reflection. What all she saw was two boring adults. Misaki had used a pen instead of a hair stick to support her hair bun, nothing was as lame as that.

Akira looked at her with a devious grin, "I know how."

Akira quickly let down her hair and braided them, she folded the edges of her jeans so as to make it look like a Capri. She took out her shirt and opened its last three buttons, she took both ends of the shirt and tied them into a knot.

"Genius" Misaki gaped at her. Akira had just transformed from hard working professional to a chic party starter.

"Meh, Your turn" Akira grinned as she grabbed the collar of Misaki's peach shirt which was neatly tucked inside her pencil skirt. She unbuttoned her first two shirt buttons and made her pull up her skirt, her clothes went straight from formal wear to a one piece dress. Misaki giggled as she saw her reflection. Although the cleavage part was a bit too much for her, she didn't say a word.

"What do we do with your hair" Akira thought out loud, "Ah I know" she grinned.

"What?" Misaki looked at her.

Akira took out the pen which was holding her bun and let her hair loose, "Now bend down" Misaki did as she told and bent down so that her hair were now fully down.

"Now flip 'em babe!" Akira grinned.

"Eh?" Misaki asked, she didn't know what she was saying. Akira face palmed and showed her. Misaki followed suit.

"There you go, the 'just-fucked' look" Akira grinned victoriously.

Misaki's jaw dropped. She was so…frank with everything. She looked at her reflection, Akira was right, she did look like she just got…fucked. Yeah.

"Wait" Akira fished inside her purse and found her glasses. She quickly put them on Misaki.

"Done" She grinned.

"Isn't this a bit too much for shopping?" Misaki gawked. Akira had gone overboard.

"Chill, if we don't find anything good to wear, at least we can go like this. It can be our last resort" Akira said with a smirk.

Misaki laughed, they headed to the store.

Misaki giggled as Akira showed one of the dresses she tried on. It was a sexy backless number that left only a little for imagination. It fitted her fine but it wasn't…perfect, she remembered Sakura telling her the same. She gave Akira a few more dresses to put on and Akira complied.

They got out of the store an hour later. Akira bought a sexy black dress that reached her knees. It looked hot on her. Misaki got a sparkly navy blue one shoulder top with matching denim shorts. They went to Akira's apartment to change.

Misaki changed into her new 'club' clothes, she tugged at the bottom of her top. It fitted her perfectly. She wore a black bra underneath that really complemented her top and wore her normal black stilettoes under her denim shorts. Akira had changed into her dress, she wore black leather boots under it. Misaki let down her hair. She didn't know what to do with them. She pouted as she looked at Akira.

"You suck at being a girl" Akira teased as she took Misaki's hair in her capable hands.

Akira was gone with dressing the both of them up, it was around eight thirty pm now. She had gone overboard—eye makeup, lipstick, whatnots. Misaki stared at her reflection. She almost couldn't recognize herself. Her currently self was quite opposite of her office self. Her hair had been braided and kept on the left side as her top hung loosely on her. Her eyes sparkled but they didn't look too much glittery. She looked simple yet sassy. Misaki kept looking at herself in the mirror, her shorts were really short.

Akira put an arm around her shoulder, "Relax. You look good, okay? Now let's get some fun already" Akira roared. Both of the girls were on the road. They decided to go to the nearby club, it was at a walk's distance from Akira's apartment, around two blocks. As they reached the club, both girls showed their IDs and were let in after standing in a small line.

"Let's get drunk" Akira giggled as she dragged Misaki along to the bar. They both sat on the barstools. Misaki sat there awkwardly, she had never gone to a club before. She looked at Akira, who was already flirting with the bartender.

Misaki whispered in her ear, "He's hot" Akira giggled and whispered back, "Honey, who cares as long as we're getting free drinks" She winked at Misaki.

Misaki looked at her in disbelief, "No way"

"Oldest trick in the book" Akira took her tongue out and giggled.

"Pina coladas" Akira mouthed to the bartender, who nodded with a smile.

Their drinks were served soon, both of the girls clanked their glasses and yelled, "To not dying boring!" They earned a chuckle from a bunch of hot guys that were sitting next to them.

Misaki learnt one thing—in a bar, everything implied alcohol. Even when she had ordered orange juice, all she got was vodka mixed with orange squash. They both continued their drinks and laughed until their stomachs hurt.

Misaki recited the story of Takumi and herself, she got all teary when she mentioned the sad parts to Akira, who started to cry due to the "sadness in the sad parts" and the effect of alcohol.

"And then, he says he wants 'one last chance' from me" Misaki slurred as she was on her eighth drink. It was something fancy. Something plus vodka plus something, she giggled.

"No fucking way. So THAT'S why he kept staring at you at the dance!" Akira's jaw dropped, literally, on the bar slab.

"Yes fucking way. I'm so fucked. I don't know what" Misaki suddenly got up, she supported her weight on one of her palms as she stood up on the slab where their empty glasses had been placed, she took a sip from the glass she had been holding, "I… don't know…. what the fuck to do" She yelled, and earned a loud cheer from the crowd. Akira clapped on the display of Ayuzawa Misaki's display of balance. Misaki giggled. She heard people shouting, "Dance! Dance! Dance!" She pulled Akira up and they both danced to the rhythm of the music.

Misaki was lost in music. She didn't know what was going on until she felt someone grab her. She raised a questioning eyebrow at a guy who was dancing next to her. He fucking _grabbed_ her. She turned left and saw that Akira was nowhere to be found. _Great_ , she frowned. She decided to ignore the guy but it got more than annoying when he started grinding against her. Misaki glared at him, even in her completely drunk state, she looked lethal. But that guy just didn't stop.

She showed the grabby guy her middle finger, he only laughed as he got more handsy with her. Misaki tried to push him away using her hands, and lost her balance in the process. Her heels slipped on the granite slab and she fell.

Misaki giggled, she had expected to hit the floor with a loud thud. She looked up at the ceiling, was she falling very slowly? Or was this the effect alcohol had? She laughed stupidly, if getting drunk meant you won't feel any pain every time you fell down, she would do it every freaking day!

"This is weird" Misaki said out loud, she should've landed by now. She turned around to find herself in a set of very familiar and very strong arms.

"Misaki!" She heard Akira shout before she could look at the person who was holding her, she looked at Akira questioningly. "Waht?! You 'kay?" Misaki slurred. She laughed at how stupid she sounded.

"Misaki. You…WE…" Akira stuttered, what was wrong with her? "Eh?!" Misaki gaped at her.

"Oh! I fell" Misaki said sheepishly, "But I didn't land on the floor yet" Misaki laughed. _What the fuck is wrong with me?_ She mused.

Misaki give Akira a strange look. _What happened to her?_ Akira looked as if all blood had drained away from her body.

Akira glared at Misaki, she gave her a "Look up, you idiot" stare. Misaki stuck her tongue out. She looked up and gaped in horror.

"Usui?!" Misaki gawked, what the fuck was he doing here? There goes her perfect fun night!

"M-Mr. Walker" Akira stuttered.

 _Oh!_ Misaki finally understood now. She turned around completely, he was holding her. _That was why I didn't land on the floor_ , Misaki frowned. She preferred the floor now. She quickly stood up, stumbling in the process. She quickly regained her balance. She was fine damn it!

"She's going home" Takumi said as he looked at Akira, who could only nod. She didn't wanna get fired now, did she?!

"Speak for yourself" Misaki spoke dryly, she thanked the booze in her system, for she didn't feel intimidated by Takumi now.

"We. Are. Going. Home." Takumi corrected himself as he took Misaki's hand, in a flash he put her over his shoulder and headed out.

"H-Hey! Set me down right now!" Misaki glared. Her complaints were effectively ignored by him. She looked at Akira, who was looking at Misa with her jaw dropped. Misaki started to giggle when she saw everything looking upside down, thanks to Takumi carrying her slumped over his shoulder. Misaki kept yelling, she even kept kicking her heels but nothing happened. Misaki grabbed a bottle of whiskey as Takumi walked effortlessly in between crowds. He didn't notice when Misaki grabbed the bottle from the side table. She laughed, there was no way she was going home without putting up a fight. The distance between the two girls kept on increasing until Misaki saw the exit doors. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Akira, who was currently left alone in the bar. She wanted to enjoy with her!

Misaki grumbled as she was safely pushed inside Takumi's car, he fastened the seat belt while Misaki snickered. She had hidden her bottle under her thigh. Takumi ran a hand through his hair as he sat down on the drivers' seat.

Takumi looked at her. He was so annoyed when he found her dirty dancing on the mini stage she created out of the bartender's table. He was right, she was a crazy drunk. She probably hadn't even understood what she was doing until a fucker started grinding his crotch against her. He wanted to burn that guy to the ground. He hadn't even budged when Misaki showed him her middle finger. He looked at her, she was pouting with her arms folded. Her top was almost off her shoulder, which showed off her bra.

Takumi clutched his fingers. He couldn't just stand and watch perverts ogle her like that. He'd rather kill them all than watch them strip her with their bare eyes. He was glad he caught her in time. Else she'd have been in a hospital right now. He pinched the bridge of his nose, how could she be so careless?

"Oy, Let me go! I want to have fun" Misaki chirped as she looked at him. She was in no favor of going home and being bored to death.

"You're drunk" Takumi stated, she was being so childish. He was glad he made the decision of going behind her. It had taken him so much time in finding the right bar. Takumi was shocked when he found her dancing on his fifth bar. He face palmed.

"Why yes Mr. Walker, you should try doing that too" Misaki smirked as she pulled out her whiskey bottle, she took off her seat belt before he could react and reached him with ease. She clumsily put her legs around his sitting form and wound an arm around his shoulder. She shoved the bottle on his mouth and grinned. In a flash, she was sitting on top of him with her legs at both sides.

Takumi was beyond flabbergasted. He had taken his eyes off her for a second and she fully took advantage of it. One moment he was frowning upon thinking the turn of events, and the other moment he found Ayuzawa Misaki sitting in his lap with her legs on either side, her arm around his neck in a second. She was sneaky. He didn't know when she had managed to hide the whiskey bottle from him. He gulped when the taste of Whiskey spoiled his taste buds, his throat burned on the sudden assault. He was glad he wasn't driving right now.

"Better" Misaki beamed as she took the bottle away from his mouth and drank from it herself.

"You're as sneaky as ever" Takumi said as he looked at her. He took the bottle away from her hand. She was so straight forward when she was drunk. He remembered he couldn't even get her to kiss him in public before. And look at her now, she was practically sitting in his lap in a very provocative position. He wasn't liking how things were turning out. She wouldn't even remember what happened the next morning.

Misaki looked at him with a pout, "You're such a turn-off"

Takumi gaped at her, was this the Ayuzawa Misaki he knew? He smiled, she was so sly. He decided it was time this charade was over. He grabbed her waist and set her on the seat as he fastened her seat belt for the second time, tighter than before. "Miss Ayuzawa, Rest assured" He looked at her with a sincere smile, "I can be a very good turn on when the time comes, which is not happening as long as you're drunk" He patted her head and started the car.

Misaki giggled, she looked at him "You're so hot"

Takumi was surprised for the nth time, it was getting more and more surprising for him. Misaki had always been like this, predictably unpredictable, "Not so bad yourself" He said with a smile.

Misaki kept staring at him, he really was hot. She couldn't look away, curse his evil sexy genes. Takumi looked ahead, he knew he was getting stares by his female companion, but he decided not to tease her.

Takumi stopped the car in front of her unit. She was fast asleep. He smiled as he picked her up, she unconsciously snuggled against his chest. She purred like a kitty, earning a chuckle from Takumi. He remembered Licht, who was just like Misaki, _Lighting up without even knowing what it means_. He pushed strands of hair back from her face. She was so beautiful. He quickly took the lift to her apartment.  
Takumi set her down on her bed and pulled up the covers. He took off her heels and set her hair lose. He traced her cheek with his thumb lovingly. She was so alluring. He felt her twist and turn, she opened up her eyes and stared at him.

Misaki found Takumi kneeling next to her bed looking at her lovingly, she stared at him. She didn't know when they reached her home. She saw him smile and blushed. What was going on? Maybe she was dreaming, she giggled.

"What?" Takumi raised an eyebrow. Why was she giggling? _Oh, yeah, she was drunk_.

"Stay the night" Misaki spoke as she sat up. She didn't know what she was saying, she just looked into his eyes and forgot everything. She took his hand and placed it on her cheek. He was so warm and comforting.

Takumi patted her head, "As much as I would love that. I can't. It's not how I want us to start over" He gave her a sincere smile.

Misaki pouted, "But I'll be lonely. What if someone kidnaps me while I sleep?!" she whined, her crazy mode was back.

Takumi face palmed. "Fine. I'll stay"

Misaki smiled as she heard him say, before she could clap in happiness, Takumi interjected, "I'll be in your living room. Good night Ayuzawa" He rolled her inside her blanket and shut the door behind him.

He heard her yell out some incoherent curses and something about aliens and chuckled. He sat down on the couch and smiled in content. He could sleep well as long as he knew she was safe under his watch and not in some random club dancing with strange perverts.

 **Author's Note: IT'S SO COLD.**

 **Hi everyone, I'm finally back with an update. I had this written prior, but just couldn't decide. It's too cold at my place these days, I just had a bit of rum and I think I feel better now. LOL, anyways, I'm sorry for making everyone wait.**

 **This chapter was light and I had requests of a Drunk Misaki before, so there you have it. I hope you liked it.**

 **And oh the reviews D: Don't cry or die guys, hang on with me, and see how this story ends. By the way, I want to make this clear that I'm not promising a happy ending for A Promise of Forever, unlike my other stories that always end in happiness, sorry, but just not for this one. So just be patient with me, its not like its going to be depressing all the way. I'm not saying bad things will happen, but I'm not saying it will be sunshine and flowers either.**

 **Thanks to saha 12adrita, Hana Riqa-chan, Hikachan420, skyla123, ToraXMisaki, Candy2045, Guest, GreenCabbage, putiaryx, Takumisa17, Guest, RosyRose1345, Minniemiss123, Guest for the reviews.**

 **Your love and support is what makes me keep going, MUCH LOVE- MissKirei.**

 **BY THE WAY, did you check out Hiro Fujiwara Sensei's page? I saw a few pictures and in one I saw Misaki and Takumi's kids, their names are Sara and Rui. Oh gosh, I died and reached heaven by seeing how cute they are. My guess about the bonus chapter is something about the next generations. I also saw another picture and I could recognize Tora's kid, Suzuna's daughter, and Sakura's daughter too. I just can't wait! Thoughts?**

 **||READ||REVIEW||FAVORITE||FOLLOW||**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Never Meant to be**

 _-MissK!_

 _"_ _When you said your last goodbye, I died a bit inside. I lay in bed with tears in my eyes, without you, darling, by my side."_

Misaki sat up as she rubbed her head trying to soothe it. One of the perks of getting drunk was hangover. She fished her drawers for sunglasses. She put them on hurriedly and drank a glass of water. Sunlight was peeking through her curtains. September was here. Misaki got up groggily, she didn't remember what happened last night.

She ran to the bathroom as fast as she could when she felt her throat fill up with vomit. She spent the majority of her morning throwing up. She sighed as she rinsed her mouth for the hundredth time. She took a bath after she felt that her stomach had settled itself.

Misaki went to her living room after putting on a white shirt and denim jeans with matching sandals. She found a plate of warm breakfast with a paper note kept next to it. She picked up the note and started to read. She recognized the neat handwriting of Takumi immediately.

" _Good morning._

 _As you requested, I stayed the night, (don't worry, we didn't do anything ;) I was on your couch)_

 _However, I had to leave. Duty calls._

 _See you._

 _-Alien"_

Misaki's cheeks tinted red as her memory soon returned. She face palmed. She had really done it this time. She felt a thump in her heart as soon as she stared at the piece of paper in her hand. Her hands shivered and she let the paper go. What the fuck was she doing?

What the fuck?

She crushed the paper and threw it away. She knew that if she let herself be affected by these simple things, she'd end up right where she started. She couldn't fall for him, not after what he had done.

Not after all those things.

Not after all that heartbreak.

Misaki dropped down on the chair with a sigh. Her weak body could only handle so much stress at a time.

"Akira!" Misaki shrieked.

She finally remembered, her partner in crime. She quickly dialed her number on her iPhone as she wiped her sweat. How could she be so forgetful?

"Hey…lemme sleep" Akira mumbled. She was sporting a hangover too.

"Sorry for last night" Misaki said, she was embarrassed.

"Oh, it's cool. Let's talk over lunch. Need to throw up—"The call ended as soon as Misaki heard Akira run. So she was in the same condition as her.

Misaki sat on the dining table and looked at the plate sitting silently on her table. It was bacon and eggs. Misaki wondered how Takumi found food ingredients in her kitchen, hell, how did he unlock her apartment yesterday? He really was inhuman.

She took a fork and dug in. She melted when she tasted the food. It was phenomenal. _As expected of him_ , she mused. He was good at everything.

Misaki stopped eating as soon as she remembered that she was doing exactly what he wanted her to do. She was falling right in that trap…of feelings. This was exactly how he had crawled his way inside her heart back in high school… but things were different now.

She put the entire plate in the garbage bin without a second thought, _right where it belonged._ How was she going to face him today? It was her last day in his office. Tora was coming back. She hadn't even gotten the chance to talk to him since the last few days because all the mess he was stuck in. He was so busy. Misaki cleaned her plate with an annoyed state of mind and took off.

Misaki hadn't taken off her sunglasses even when she got inside the office. Her eyes hurt. _Fucking hangovers,_ Misaki and Akira had been utterly stupid. But Misaki would never deny that she had fun last night. She smiled as she thought back to their charade last night—from shopping to drinking to dancing. She felt like a normal girl now. She opened the door of Takumi's cabin and went inside without a second thought.

She found a smirking Takumi Walker standing in front of her with a cup of coffee in his hands. He wore a black shirt and a gray tie. She looked away embarrassedly.

"Feel free to use my restroom if you feel like throwing up again" He snickered. He knew she was having a hangover.

Misaki almost banged her head against her table and pouted. Today wasn't her day. "Don't you have work to do?" She spat as she rubbed her temples.

"I have different priorities" Takumi said as he looked at her. Even in her hung over state, she was as beautiful to him as ever.

Misaki stared at the small pile of paperwork she had. She was glad it wasn't much today. She had finished majority of her work yesterday and was glad, because she didn't have the strength today. "Shut up" She muttered as she opened her mails.

Takumi resumed his work shortly afterwards, both didn't talk much the entire time. Partly because they were engaged in their work, and partly because it was awkward.

Misaki got up to leave for her lunch, she had remembered she promised Akira for lunch. She took her purse and stood up.

"Meeting your drinking friend again? Tell her I said hi" Takumi smirked.

Misaki scowled, _that alien_ , "Will do"

"You should have seen what happened last night" Akira gossiped with Misaki, who was busy eating her food.

"I remember a little."

"But you didn't SEE it" Akira shrieked, "Your Ex. He was so crazy angry. If looks could kill, that handsy guy would have died right there!"

Misaki listened and nodded occasionally. She had her face tomato red due to embarrassment.

"Anyhow, it was so sexy when he carried you over his shoulder. I was so freaked out when I saw him approach you. I was dancing nearby, everyone was looking at him as soon as he picked you up. You're lucky, if he didn't, you'd have landed in the emergency room" Akira drooled over Takumi Walker as she laughed, much to Misaki's mortification.

"We messed up yesterday" Misaki mumbled. Last night was a total bust, and she sure as hell didn't feel like reminiscing about her shameful behavior last night.

"Who cares? You had a hot guy personally carry you home, who also happens to be your boss. How wicked. Tell me, did you guys do it last night?" Akira asked her, she was dying for some good ol' gossip!

Misaki put her hand over Akira's face, "People will hear. Can you keep it in your pants? No we didn't"

Akira gaped at her with a wide mouth, " _You_ had such a great chance to put _him in your pants_ , yet you threw it out of the window"

Misaki muttered, "He…he isn't like that. He respects my boundaries" _Respect her boundaries_ , her inner sighed, he wouldn't even have stopped if she had let him! And then, he'd leave the next morning as if nothing happened. Just thinking about all this gave her a headache and put her in a sour mood.

"Awww" Akira chirped as she clasped her hands together. A pink aura surrounded her and it gave chills to Misaki.

"By the way" Akira looked at the red face of none other than Ayuzawa Misaki.

Misaki looked up, Akira went quiet all of a sudden, "What?"

"He asked for another chance from you right? So what are you going to do?" Akira put a hand on Misaki's shoulder. Jokes apart, Akira understood Misaki's pain. She had unintentionally told her everything about her and Takumi's relationship. Akira cared for her friend and she didn't want Misaki to stay alone.

"I don't know. What if he's just bored?" Misaki said, unsure of her own words.

Akira gave her a soothing smile, "From my experience with men, I don't think someone would care so much about me if he was looking for a one night stand. When a guy wants you for sex, he won't bother that much about you. But when a guy really wants you, He'll show it."

Misaki nodded, she was right. But she couldn't trust him that easily. What if he left her again? She put her hands in her hair and shook her head. She didn't know anymore.

"Sometimes, you gotta take a chance and see what happens" Akira rubbed her back soothingly.

"Aaa…" Misaki muttered. _But, sometimes, you gotta let go of things and move on with your life too_ , her inner self replied.

Misaki resumed work after lunch. She picked up her laptop and placed it on Takumi's table, and sat on the chair opposite to his. They had to work on something together. Tora had forwarded the file and Misaki took a quick look at it. Misaki took the liberty of explaining what the file said to Takumi and saved them both a great deal of time. Takumi was standing behind Misaki's chair. His body was bent over so as to look at the laptop clearly. Misaki could almost smell his scent. He smelled just like he did a few years ago. This, was causing Misaki a lot of pain. The more time she spent in his company, the moment her stupid heart started reminiscing of the past. He was lost in thought, unaware of Misaki's face turning pink. He was too close!

Takumi retreated after going through the text. He was currently looking outside while standing near the huge glass window. His tie hung loosely around his neck and his sleeves were rolled up. Misaki looked at him while he stared outside. A part inside her wanted to walk towards him and hug him from behind. She looked back in her laptop screen and typed instead, ignoring her urges and for the first time, being rational.

"All done" Misaki threw her hands up in the air and stretched her arms. She was tired.

Takumi nodded, "Good work"

Misaki smiled. She was done for the day.

"So, do you remember what we did last night?" Takumi asked dryly, he was hiding his smirk behind his bland face.

"WHAT?!" Misaki freaked out. What did they do last night?!

"Oh nothing, you were just flirting with me" He moved his long fingers out and about, as if wielding a magic wand.

Misaki glared at him, "I was not"

"You were" Takumi teased.

"Well" Misaki bit her lip, "What did I say?"

Takumi put a finger under his chin, as if in deep thought, "Well, you told me that I was hot, but you also said that I was a turn off. Ouch, you hurt my feelings, Miss Ayuzawa" Takumi made a hurt expression.

Misaki looked at him, "So, did we…did we do anything then?"

Takumi smiled, "Nope"

Misaki snickered, "So you **_are_** a turn-off"

Takumi walked towards her, he bent down so that he was at eye level with her, he looked straight into her eyes and he placed his arms on her either sides, "I would _love_ to do unspeakable things to you" He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, "But not when you're out of your senses" He patted her head.

"You don't have the right to." was all Misaki could manage to say when her insides turned sour as she remember all the tears she shed.

Misaki quickly got up the first chance she got and picked up her purse. It was eight pm. She was tired, hungry and flustered. She couldn't spend another moment in the perverted bastard's company.

"Oy Ayuzawa" Takumi called her name, she turned around and raised an eyebrow.

Takumi smiled, "Have dinner with me?"

"No" Misaki said dryly.

"Am I not hot enough for you?" He teased her, he was having more than fun with her!

"I'm afraid I'm not hot enough for you" Misaki mumbled, almost sarcastically, and almost truthfully.

It was Takumi's turn to raise an eyebrow, "Never" He smiled as he walked towards her and grabbed her shoulders. He pushed her outside as he walked behind her, "I'm treating you to dinner"

Misaki yelled at him, "Act appropriately!" Takumi chuckled as he left her shoulders and smirked, "Then walk"

"Fine" Misaki walked as she stomped her heels. _He's gotten more annoying!_ The duo got of his office and headed out unaware of the stares they were getting.

"So what have you decided?" Takumi asked as he peeked above the menu card and Misaki knew he wasn't talking about the food.

Misaki kept her eyes fixated on her menu, "I don't know. What's best here?" She asked the waitress, who was busy ogling Takumi.

"What... Oh! Right! Ma'am, our today's special is Indian curry with flat bread and rice" The waitress stuttered, she was caught off guard.

"We'll take those" Takumi filled in, the waitress bowed and went to get their orders.

Dinner was silent. Misaki was lost in her own thoughts and she paid little attention to her food. She thought back to what Akira had said. Was he truly into her? Misaki didn't know. She knew he cared for her in the same way as he did before. But she still couldn't come to trust him. One moment she felt like she knew him quite well and the other she didn't know who the person sitting in front of her was. Misaki was painstakingly aware that she was not over him. There was no getting over him. Misaki took small bites in between her thoughts. She didn't want him to comment upon her eating habits again.

She thought back to the times she had cried over him. She thought back to moments when she would wake up drenched in her own tears upon reminiscing the memories they shared together. She had never thought she'd ever see him again. But now here he was, and she didn't know what to do. God had a weird way of bringing people together. Was his return to Japan a sign? That they were meant to be together?

Or

Was this a sign that she needed to overcome her weaknesses? Why should she go back to him anyway? Why should she give him the chance? All the thoughts she was having were all fun and games, but now she was being practical. She didn't want to go back to him out of his pity. She may not be completely over him, but it wasn't like she couldn't breathe without him, _like before._ She had gotten up on her feet, somehow. Was she going to throw all that away for just another chance?

She wasn't.

Takumi raised an eye when he saw her spacing out. He smiled, what all went inside her beautiful mind? He rested his chin on the back of his palm and looked at her. She was completely out of it. He waved his hand in front of face, "Oy! Earth to Ayuzawa"

"Wh—oh!" Misaki looked at him, she was too close to freaking out.

Takumi looked at her worriedly, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, totally" Misaki said, she finished her meal quickly and they headed out. Misaki looked out of the window as Takumi drove her home. She looked at the city lights and then gazed at the stars. She even had her doctors' appointment tomorrow. Only God knew what they were going to do to her. She sighed, she decided to go alone. Tora wasn't back yet and she didn't want to burden him. Besides, what was the worst that could happen?

Takumi walked her to her apartment and Misaki didn't say a word. They reached her front door and stopped.

Takumi looked at her worriedly, she looked pale. He decided to get his thoughts across once and for all, "So, what did you decide?"

"You're a great person, Takumi." She paused, "But…"

Takumi raised an eyebrow, this was the first time she was complimenting him. But? But what? He decided to stay silent and let her continue…

"But, we…" she trailed off again, as she looked at the keychain in her hand that Tora had given her last month. She looked up with a small smile and trembling lips, "But we were never meant to be."

Takumi extended his hand unknowingly, he wanted to correct her; he wanted to tell her that she was wrong. He wanted to tell her that they were always meant to be. He had been stupid before, but he couldn't utter a single word when he saw how hard she struggled to keep a straight face on as her eyes began to water. He stood there like a rock as she smiled and turned around.

"Good Night, Takumi. Thanks for the dinner." She said as she unlocked her house hurriedly and went inside without a second word.

"Never meant to be, eh?" Takumi smiled to himself as he stared at the mahogany door that was shut out on his face.

-xx-

"Never meant to be?" Tora smirked as he held a water bottle in his hand.

"Laugh at my expense, if you must." Takumi said as he looked up in the sky. He and Tora, were the two most unlikely people to sit together and chat in a park. Tora had shown up at his mansion at five in the morning, and now he was sitting with him in the lap of nature.

"I can't help but do" Tora laughed as he sat down next to him, "Can't say I feel bad for you."

"Its not a game."

"You're stupid if you think I dragged you into this just so that you could sweep Misaki off her feet and live happily ever after with her." Tora said as he looked far away.

"Be more specific." Takumi said distastefully as he looked at Tora.

"I wanted her to face her feelings for you. Whether they were of love, dejection, hatred, anything. I just wanted her to get closure. I don't care what she does, as long as she doesn't keep bottling up her feelings. As for you, I couldn't care less whether you live or you don't. I did it for her."

Takumi stared at the patterns on a fallen maple leaf as he thought about Tora's words. He realized that he hadn't even scratched the surface of what he broke. Misaki was nowhere near closure. She wanted to shut him out, last night.

"But it seems like the more I try, the more she's trying to run." Tora said as he looked at Takumi, who only smiled. "You can't control everything, Tora. I hate to break it to you but things always don't work out your way."

"That's a loser's excuse." Tora broke out an annoying grin and Takumi ran a hand through his hair, "Not an excuse, but an experience."

The two fell quiet a few moments later, both had the same thoughts, the same person, in mind. She, who disrupted their lives, probably slept soundly in her warm bed as they spoke, Takumi thought.

"As cruel as ever, eh Ayuzawa." he smiled.

x—x—x

Hey there! I made you all wait for so long, I'm so sorry. I wanted to say that even though I update really late, I open the ff site regularly, so don't feel shy while voicing your thoughts thinking I won't read. I read each and every review that gets posted and those reviews often shape the following chapters. I get a lot of new ideas as I read them and who knows? I just might be using your ideas in the next chapter.

I love you guys, APOF has reached one year this March. I always thought it would get completed before it ages one, but hey! we're on our way (:

I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed/followed/favorited/read this story. This was the first MAID SAMA fanfic that I ever wrote and look how popular it became. I'm so happy today.

MUCH LOVE XOXO

I'll see you all soon.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 | Misaki Ayuzawa**

* * *

The water felt warm and pleasant against her skin as it trickled down her back. Misaki ran a hand through her hair as she stood under the shower. She picked up the shampoo bottle as she continued to enjoy the bath. What caught her attention as she applied shampoo on her scalp was the strands of hair that came out and wrapped themselves around her fingers as she continued to massage her hair as the shampoo lathered up.

She frowned, the amount of hair fall she went through in a bath was more than what she would shed in an entire week. Maybe the shampoo wasn't suitable for hair…

 _But the shampoo used to be just fine before…before…_

She paused her thoughts right away. She didn't need so much negativity in her life this early in the morning. She ignored the hair strands and washed her long, and thin hair hurriedly as she rushed out of the bathroom upon realizing what the time was.

"Oh Misaki! You're shining today. Why don't you go to the consultation room and the doctor will join you shortly." Nurse Hitoshi said in her ever-so-cheerful voice as soon as she noticed Misaki standing inside the chambers.

"Sure, thanks…" came a mumble from Misaki's side as the girl got out of the chambers and headed down the hallway where the consultation room was located.

She twisted the doorknob of the first door that she encountered in the hallway and went inside, absentmindedly. She regretted that immediately though…

"Mother…no! You can't keep fighting any further…" A girl sobbed as she held on to the hand of a woman lying unconscious on the bed. A set of few people was standing at the back with their heads bowed down. Misaki soon realized that they were the family and friends…

Misaki couldn't take her eyes away from the woman lying down on the bed. Her eyelids had been open, as if they refused to shut themselves…her eyes were blood red, as if the blood would come right out if they were to blink. Her frame had been reduced to nothing but a skeleton—a frame of what was once. Her neck had been turned to the side and the woman could only move her fingers as a sign of communication.

"All of her organs have stopped functioning, except for her heart." A person murmured as tears streamed down their face, "She is a warrior."

"Mother! Stop fighting it already! I can't…I can't see you like this anymore!" The girl screamed as shouted as she held on to the woman's hand on tight. There wasn't an end to the tears…they just continued to stream down relentlessly.

It was like Misaki had been glued to the Earth as she witnessed all this. The woman's husband looked broken, her children cried and the others could only support each other in the pain that they all were going through.

"She moved!" One remarked, the girl who had been sobbing froze as she looked at her mother's face hopefully.

The woman started exhaling air through her nostrils with struggle. She didn't inhale, but she kept exhaling.

"She's leaving us…" another cried.

And it was like time froze as the woman used one last ounce of her strength to tilt her neck and look at everyone present in the room. A broken smile overcame her face and it was almost like she was okay again, until she exhaled one last breath and with it came out hot tears, and she passed away.

The entire room fell silent and the girl froze as everyone started to cry. Through this chaos, the girl cried, "Dear god, please take care of my mother." She whispered as she began to cry inconsolably, "At least she's free of the pain now…at least she's going to a better place…" And the sobs intensified.

All this was a sight too much to handle for Misaki, she made a point of getting out of the room before anyone could spot her. Even if she didn't get out, she was sure that nobody would have witnessed her anyway… But she couldn't bear to watch all of the grief, and pain. It was like someone drew a knife through her heart. She leaned against the wall as she looked at the ceiling with a dry throat.

Was she going to put her family through that much pain when she…

Her legs trembled at the thought. She didn't want anyone to go through such a pain. The scene was imprinted in her memory. She wanted to engulf that girl in a hug, tell her that everything was going to be okay or throw any similar excuse just so that she would stop crying. But she couldn't.

Ayuzawa Misaki had never felt so helpless before in her entire life.

"Oh Misaki, is everything alright?" Dr. Ayame, who had been walking down the hallway, had spotted Misaki, "Are you in any kind of pain? Did something happen?"

"No. Not at all" Misaki said as she decided to put up a front and walked behind Ayame, "I just saw something I shouldn't have,"

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ayame understood what Misaki had meant. They were standing in a hospital, it was common to witness some _incidences_ that would cause a lot of emotional damage. But Ayame had gotten over them with time.

Deep in her heart, Misaki prayed for that woman, and her family. She prayed that both of them find peace. Ayame opened the door of the consultation room and Misaki silently followed as the realization of her disease started to dawn upon her.

Misaki tried to control her tears as another syringe was plunged into her vein. She closed her eyes in hopes of feeling less pain. It stung a little but wasn't as stingy as the last one. She took a deep breath and looked at nurse Hitoshi who was busy taking her sample. She had been given some medicines using IV. Hospitals freaked her out. She sighed, it was going to take a lot of work on her part to get used to this. She looked at her watch, she had been here for four fucking hours. When were they letting her off? She didn't feel like staying here anymore.

"Okay, lie down here" Nurse Hitoshi instructed her to lie down on the bed, Misaki followed suit. She adjusted her skirt that was pushed up as she laid on the bed. She made the wrong decision of wearing a skirt. She was told to raise her right arm upwards to help the blood flow. Nurse Hitoshi checked her vitals—her blood count was as low as before. Her pulse was rather erratic. Misaki looked at her wrist watch, she wanted to get out of the clinic. She was bored and scared.

"Okay, do you think you can get up? I need to check your weight" Nurse Hitoshi asked.

Misaki looked at her, of course she could get up, she did nothing but lie down for the last four hours!

"Yeah" Misaki sat up, as she tried to stand up, she felt weakness hit her. Everything started to spin around her, Nurse Hitoshi quickly grabbed her arm and supported her.

"Easy there. Lie back down" Nurse Hitoshi helped get lay down. Misaki started to see black spots, why was she feeling so weak?

"It's normal" Nurse Hitoshi reassured her as she saw Misaki's discomfort, "Since you had so much blood taken out, you'll feel dizzy. Considering the fact that you already have a low blood count, it may be worse for you" Misaki saw Nurse Hitoshi going out of her room and everything blurred.

Misaki woke up sometime later. She sat up in hopes of standing, and failed miserably. She took the glass of water which was placed near her bed. She drank the water and supported her back against the wall. She looked around and saw Dr. Ayame sitting nearby.

"Good thing you're up" Dr. Ayame smiled.

Misaki smiled awkwardly, "Yeah. Sorry, everything started spinning" Misaki managed a small laugh.

"It's okay. It happens, now, you weakness may prevail if you don't start eating healthy. I have prepared a balanced diet chart for you along with a few medicines. Be sure to take them on time. You're free to go. Is there someone who'll be taking you home?"

"That will be me" Tora Igarashi entered inside the room, startling both the Doctor and Misaki in the process.

"Alright. Have a good evening. Misaki, call me up if something happens. Let's hope it doesn't." Dr. Ayame laughed and stepped out of the room.

Misaki gave Tora a big smile, "You're back!"

"Yup" Tora smiled back as he ruffled her hair. Misaki stood up holding the edge of the bed for support. Tora gave her his hand and she took it with a smile.

"Ready?" Tora asked as Misaki got ready after picking up her things.

"Yup" she grinned.

Tora gave her a small hug. Misaki couldn't help but be happy. Her friend was back. He looked much better now as compared to the last time she had seen him. He had looked awful.

They stepped outside, it was almost dawn. Misaki frowned, her entire day was a waste. Tora took her car keys and started the car. She got inside and they both drove home.

"So, how was the trip?" Misaki asked. He looked in a better condition than before.

"Awesome, I even got time to rest" Tora grinned.

Misaki laughed, "That's great"

"What about you? Enjoyed work?" Tora snickered.

Misaki smacked his head, "Baka! How did Usui land up in Japan?! It can't be a coincidence! What all are you hiding from me?"

"Me? Hide from you? Never" Tora gave her a toothy grin, "I didn't know too, Dad told me during the gala" he smirked.

"Liar" Misaki looked away and got silent as she looked out.

"Thanks for coming to get me. You should get some rest" Misaki said as she passed Tora a glass of juice. He stood leaning against her kitchen counter.

"It's nothing" Tora muttered as he drank his juice.

"So how was Spain?"

"Oh it was good, I didn't get much time for sightseeing though"

"Better luck next time" Misaki muttered as she took a bite from her pizza slice.

"Well, I better get going, got some work to do" Tora said as he looked in his phone.

"But you just got here" Misaki whined, she didn't feel like staying home alone.

"You need to rest before you get dizzy again" Tora looked at her as he walked out of her apartment.

"Fine" Misaki grumbled as she waved.

"See you tomorrow. I want my employee back" Tora teased.

"Chill, I'll be back in my cabin before you can spell 'employee'."

"Oh really? E-m-p-l-o-y…" Tora snickered as he showed himself out.

"This doesn't count!" Misaki grinned and Tora left. To be honest, she was happy that Tora had decided to show up and had even remembered that she had doctor's appointment every weekend. She didn't know how she would have come back if he hadn't come. She would probably have spent the night in the hospital if he hadn't shown up.

She was so glad to have Tora in her life.

Misaki paused her happy thoughts as soon as she remembered what she had seen today. She could imagine Tora standing in that same room, with her lying on that bed. She shook her way…no...She didn't want to put him through all that pain. Hell, _she couldn't put him through more pain than she already did._

That night, Misaki couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about all the people in her life that would be affected by her death. Her family would probably have it worst, and she knew Tora would be sad too…she kept trying to visualize how that moment would be like…she almost laughed, Ayuzawa Misaki had never been so negative in all her life.

Takumi.

Would he be affected too?

Whenever her thoughts circled back to Takumi, her mind would become frazzled. For sure, Takumi didn't think about her as much as she did. After all, he had been the one to cut the cord between the two of them. Maybe she understood why he did so after all this time. Long distance relationships were a mess, how could she expect him to stay devoted to her from so far away? Even if she saw their relationship in a very serious manner, maybe it wasn't the case for Takumi. Surely, he had other things to do there…

"Back at it again" Misaki chided herself as she turned while lying on her bed towards the right. She was back to overthinking about Takumi. He was her brain's favourite topic. Why? She could never fathom. She had stopped trying to understand how things worked long ago, when she was diagnosed with her cancer. She didn't understand why and how she got the disease. She didn't understand why it was spreading. She didn't understand why she was going to start chemo even though she had no intentions of fighting with her destiny. She didn't understand why she didn't tell her parents about such a serious thing yet. She didn't understand why Tora was doing what he was doing for her. She didn't understand anymore.

She let out a small chuckle as she stared at the empty wall. We as human beings always worried about trivial things, didn't we? She laughed hard when a question came to her mind, _"What is the meaning of life?"_

 _"What is the meaning of death?"_ She wondered out loud, fighting a yawn. These days, she felt like she had been fighting all her life, right from her middle school when her father left. She remembered getting the tag of a fighter back in her school days, the demon president was she called. She felt as if she was fighting a lost battle from the beginning…and she didn't want to fight anymore. She surrendered to the pain, the weakness, the tiredness, and to her loneliness as she shut her eyes off, moving away from the reality, so that she could have at least some peace of mind.

 _"Sis-Sis! Don't leave me here!" a blurry voice screamed in agony as muffled cries engulfed the room. Misaki couldn't see anything but she could feel the emotions behind the voices. Who was that person? She didn't know, she only heard cries of pain. "Misa why didn't you tell us?" Came another voice as she felt herself being shaken violently, she couldn't see, she couldn't move. All she heard were the painful cries. Misaki tried to run, but everywhere she went, there was darkness. She kept running until she went out of breath, but she still couldn't spot anyone. "You lied to us!" The voices shouted, and she found herself standing inside a hospital room. The faces of those voices started to become visible as light entered the room and she saw a lithe body lying lifelessly on the bed. She couldn't dare to see who that person was. Her body trembled as she took steps towards the bed and decided to take off the paper thin white sheet that hid that person's face._

RING-RING

RING-RING

Misaki bolted awake as soon as she heard the doorbell ring. Her phone had been buzzing and she was covered in sweat and tears. She decided to get up but felt a sudden loss of breath when she realized that she couldn't breathe properly!

Her vision started to blur as she tried to take deep inhales to breathe, but nothing helped. Her hands frantically moved in the both directions, looking for something—anything that could help her breathe! The dream had been so bizarre that she couldn't even realize that she couldn't breathe. Her head started to spin as the oxygen didn't reach her brain. She didn't realize she had fallen until she found her head on the floor and her leg tangled in her blanket.

This was the scariest thing she had ever gone through.

Misaki struggled as she kept on fighting and tried to locate the inhaler Ayame had given her. Her hand landed on a square box thing and she took another large breath as everything went black. 

…

Her eyes popped open minutes later, she found her head on the floor and her leg on the bed still. Her hand had been clutching the inhaler tight and she had managed to put it on her nose. Tears started to stream out as she removed the inhaler and decided to sit up, or sit down.

Misaki wiped her tears as she supported herself against the bed edge and managed to sit down on the floor. What in the world had just happened? She didn't realize anything, but she remembered everything go in slow motion at that painful moment. Her back hurt and she realized that she had hit the corner of the bed stand while she fell, causing a wound on the right side of her forehead. Blood had been streaming down and she felt so powerless. All this had taken place in a split second and she didn't even realize it.

The sound of the doorbell ringing was something that she registered moments later. The dream had been one hell of a nightmare and whatever just happened with her was just out of this world. In a bad way. She picked up her phone and rubbed her eyes so that she could see properly.

There were several messages in her phone, from her mother, and missed calls from Suzuna. Her sister had left a message which read "Sis, where are you? We are standing outside."

Misaki had never felt so scared in her entire life. Her family was standing right outside and she surely couldn't go out in such a state. She texted them that she was out in office and that they should check in a hotel until she comes to pick them up. Luckily, Suzuna didn't suspect a thing.

After a few hours, she gathered the energy to stand up. She realized that she had broken a vase during her fall and there were glass shards embedded in her left arm. She had managed to inform Ayame about what happened and Nurse Hitoshi came to her place to treat her wounds.

Around afternoon, Misaki lay awake in her bed. She had asked Nurse Hitoshi to cover her in as less bandages as possible and still had landed in multiple bandages on her arm and forehead. She had to pick her family up from the hotel by 8pm and she felt so bad for lying to them, but there wasn't much she could have done at the moment.

What would she say about these bandages? Her head hurt from trying to make out what to do. She felt tears in her eyes, she felt so lost, so alone, so hopeless…

At 8pm sharp, Misaki was standing in front of her family's hotel room with a large, reassuring smile on her face. She had decided to wear a full sleeved blazer and used makeup to cover her forehead wound. Even though she was in no condition, she still felt like she could conquer the world. She knocked the door when a painful expression came out and escaped on her face, but it was soon replaced by a bright smile as she hugged her mother.

"Hey guys! I missed you!" she said, truthfully as she gave them all a hug. Her apartment was set up like a stage and she was ready to play her part.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Hey guys! I'm sorry for leaving you all hanging. A lot has happened. I've been writing scripts for plays and movies while juggling college and coaching classes. Working 19 hours a day. Whoosh! Anyway, the start of this chapter was to send my love and condolences to my friend and her family. She lost her mother on 28th of March, who had fought bravely against cancer for 18 months. She was a warrior, and I hope her daughter inherits that strength. Unfortunately, the only way for me to make peace with something is by writing about it. So that's why I put it in the start scene. Please pray for her!**

 **And here I had some more emotionally draining stuff from APOF, how did the update come out? Let me know!**

 **A huge shoutout to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited/read my story. Even though I'm not able to answer your reviews/pms anymore, I'd love if you put in your questions in the review section and I'll be sure to collectively answer them in the next update.**

 **Coming back, many of you seem to remember that I had said I would make you fall in love with Tora in this story. Many people told me they loved Tora from APOF and I felt so happy! I'm glad I could make you guys experience such emotions!**

 **Sadly, no Takumi in this update, since it turned out to be Misaki-centric. I have a feeling that you guys don't like Takumi in this story anymore!**

 **Seems like I'll have to put out something like "I promise I'll make you fall in love with Takumi" in some upcoming chapters. Haahaha!**

 **Another thing, I was thinking about putting my own book out, what do you think about this?**

 **Also, (I have so much to say and so less time!) If you want some writing guidelines or any kind of suggestion, don't hesitate to ask in PM or Review!**

 **Much Love! See you next time!**

 **||MISS_KIREI||**

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	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Strength**

 _"_ _You never know what a day can do to you._

 _One day you're happy, positive and satisfied,_

 _The next, you realize that you've lost everyone and everything that mattered._

 _You never know what a day can do to you._

 _Either give you a true sense of reality,_

 _Or snatch it right from the palm of your hand." (MissKirei)_

The drip-drop sound of the glucose tube was the only sound that echoed through the hospital room where Misaki lay lifelessly. Tora sat on the side chairs with his fingers intertwined together as he looked at her. He seemed to be disappointed in her though, bearing an unfathomable expression on his face.

"We have just begun the chemo and the side effects have started to kick in. To be honest, she's at an early stage so there are good chances of her survival, but it would be hard to walk away without any side effects. Cancer doesn't leave you without a parting gift." Dr Ayame, who seemed to be more philosophical than necessary, said when she entered Misaki's room.

"What kind of side effects?" Tora asked as he stared at Misaki's sleeping form.

"Inability to do menial day to day tasks alone, since chemo directly affects the brain—memory loss and changes in appetite are common. May also lead to severe hair loss…" She said in a small voice as Tora frowned.

"Isn't there something that can be done?" Tora said with a distasteful voice, he couldn't hide the hints of desperation in his tone, but couldn't bother to conceal it anymore.

"Keep her happy," Ayame said with a smile, thinking back to something. She was lost in thought for a moment before she realised that she was with a patient. She kept her front hair behind her ear and gave him a reassuring smile, "Happiness can heal the most deep rooted scars a person can have. Trust me."

Tora nodded, these empty words of false hope didn't flatter him. Surely, he wanted her to be happy, but he was mad at himself—at the world because there weren't any better forms of chemo which didn't involve a thousand side effects.

"Misaki keeps to herself too much." She said, out of the blue. "She hasn't told about her condition to anyone except for you." She stated. Tora looked up, was she asking him or was she telling?

"She should open up more, letting people in would help her ease out the process… Which is why I'm taking her somewhere."

"Where? You know better than me, doctor, that she is in no shape to go anywhere." Tora said, had she lost her mind?

"I am fully aware, but the place I will take her isn't far from here, also, being her doctor, I will take good care of her."

"Well then, its settled."

Misaki found herself sitting in a group of 10 people. Everyone seemed to be smiling. She looked in the direction of Dr Ayame, who was sitting next to her. She had dragged Misaki along, saying that this was an exercise and was a part of her treatment.

"Hi guys, I'm Ayame and I would like you all to welcome Misaki to the group, Misaki dear, why don't you go on and introduce yourself?"

"Hello Misaki," Everyone said with a smile as Misaki bowed to everyone.

"How are you all, I'm Misaki," She said timidly and sat down, not knowing what to say.

"I will start today." A girl said.

"Hello, I'm Kim Siwon"

"Hello Kim Siwon" Everyone said, "I'm a leukaemia patient, in the third stage. I've been fighting for three years. I just wanted to share that I have been feeling lonely lately. I feel like this fight is not even worth it anymore. I know and I understand the value of life and especially mine since its short, but I just feel like no matter how hard I try, it would always end up with me dying on everyone near me and its soul-shattering to imagine that moment. I just wanted to get this thought off my chest. Thank you."

"You are not alone Kim-san"

"You shouldn't think that living is worthless, you might regret it in your last moments"

"If you think that life is short, why don't you enjoy what's left of it?"

"If you're so desperate to not leave everyone devastated when you go away, why don't you spend your life making them happy?"

Kim Siwon bowed and thanked everyone. Everyone clapped and Ayame stood up, "Misaki, why don't you go next, say what's on your mind?"

"Me?" Misaki's eyes widened, what was she going to say?

"Yes, go ahead. Let it out." Kim said.

Misaki nodded with a small smile. "Hello, I'm Misaki. I have recently found out about my cancer. To be honest, I'm doing kind of okay, really. It hurts sometimes but it's not as bad right now." Misaki smiled brightly. Everyone seemed to be silent and Misaki looked down, her smile crumbled.

"Why don't you try being a little more honest with yourself, dear?" Madam Ahn said the smile on her wrinkled face shattered Misaki's façade.

"Okay, if I'm being completely honest here. I'm doing okay. Every day I wake up alive I feel thankful that I didn't wake up in the hospital surrounded by drips and doctors. What bothers me is the fact that one day I will have to explain to my parents that there's a good chance I wouldn't be alive to see my younger sister get married, or I wouldn't have the chance to take care of my parents to repay them for the love and support they have provided me with. I have been a strong pillar to them in hard times and now I just feel like I don't have the strength to tell them what I'm going through." She half chuckled as a tear slid down, "I have never felt so emotionally broken in my life before. Things have been hard and there were some really bad phases in my life and I have fought hard and survived through each one of those phases but I don't think I can survive this phase. I feel like I am responsible for so many people in my life—but I'm just being a coward no matter what I do…"

Ayame placed a hand on Misaki's shoulder as she vented out, "You've done well so far, Misaki."

Everyone nodded, "You've done well…"

Misaki wiped her face, "I have a feeling that well isn't going to be enough this time."

Madam Ahn spoke, "Misaki dear, think about this—why is it that we only want to share our happiest moments with the people that we love? Why are we so afraid of sharing the pain? It's because we feel like nobody else will be able to understand the pain that we go through…" The old lady sighed as she clutched her pendant firmly, "Try to place yourself in your family's position. If your mother hid such a thing from you and you found out in her last moments, you would probably blame yourself your entire life for it. You would feel that your mother couldn't find enough faith in you to be able to share such an important thing from you. I think that would be the worst."

"She's right."

"You should definitely tell them, no matter what happens." Everyone nodded and Misaki blinked away the tears that pooled in her eyes. "Where do I find the strength to do that?"

"Strength will come from within. You are a pretty strong-willed woman Misaki, whether you like it or not." Ayame said, "Even if you can't feel that strength right now, it is what is at your core. You need to reconnect with your lost self and find that strength again. Go places you liked, visit people who had an impact on you, drown in nostalgia, and you will find your lost self."

"Thank you, everyone." Misaki bowed.

"Why don't I go next?" Ayame said.

"Hello everyone, I'm Ayame. I'm a doctor and the founder of this community. I started this group sharing practice in my hospital a few years ago. I was married young—we were 20. My husband, who was also a doctor, got cancer after one year of marriage, we found out too late and I tried my best to save but I guess some things are not in our control, are they?" She smiled and everyone seemed to be shocked.

"The passing of my husband—the love of my life, taught me the best life lesson. The message to me—someone who always strived for perfection, was that sometimes you lose. You're never too perfect to lose, it just happens when it has to happen. I was a 21-year-old widow who didn't know what to do with her life anymore. I felt broken inside out, lost without a purpose. I blamed the gods for taking the love of my life away from me. I was so mad at the universe for doing this to me. I realised the importance of life and living each moment like it was the last one. My husband lives through me, and through the work I do, that's all…"

"Thank you for sharing, Ayame." Everyone said and Misaki looked at Ayame when she smiled and laughed. At that moment, Misaki felt empty and neutral, she didn't feel any sort of emotion when she looked at her. What was this feeling?

Later that evening, she dialled Takumi's number.

"Are you doing something important right now?" She said timidly.

"Not at all," Takumi said on the phone.

"Can I see you?" she said, biting her lip.

"Text me your location, I'll meet you there in ten minutes," Takumi said and cut the call.

"This meeting will have to be postponed. Something important came up." He said to the board of directors sitting in front of him. He stood up and left the conference hall, leaving the remaining fifty people gaping at him.

 **||MISS_KIREI||**

Hmm… so I'm back after almost ten months? Or was it nine months?

Anyway, I'm finally back! I know everyone's angry that I used to update but I never updated this particular story. I'm sorry about that, it was just that I saw great potential in this story and felt like this story deserved more time spent on it. Time which I did not have at that time (I still don't, but I'm changing my schedule soon.) After so many messages and personal requests, I just knew that I had to return to this story. My apologies to everyone who waited. It's not possible for me to reply to the pending reviews but I will reply to all the reviews I get from now on.

Due to lack of time, I was only able to write a small chapter, please let me know what you thought and I'll see you next time with another update.

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